KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi vowed to find the killers of Crime Intelligence officer Captain Louis Nel and his colleague — and one of the suspects has now been killed in a shootout with police.
The suspect, who was wanted in connection with the murders, was located in Inanda on Friday morning, where he exchanged gunfire with police.
A Special Task Force member was wounded during the operation. Police said the suspect was eventually shot and fatally wounded.
Nel and Sergeant Mandla Khuzwayo were ambushed while travelling in an unmarked state vehicle in Mount Edgecombe on 30 April.
Nel died at the scene, while Khuzwayo later succumbed to his injuries in hospital on 25 May.
At Nel’s funeral in May, Mkhwanazi made a solemn promise to the grieving family, friends and colleagues.
“We will find the killers, dead or alive. We will find them pretty soon.”
Four months later, police have located one of the men wanted in connection with the killings.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspect had been giving police the runaround and was eventually cornered at a house in Inanda.
Police said negotiations were held because a woman was inside the house. She was released, but the suspect allegedly continued resisting and fired at the Special Task Force members, wounding one officer in the hand.
Five other suspects have been arrested during the investigation, according to police.
The operation remains a significant development in the investigation into the deaths of the two Crime Intelligence officers.
