Six suspects killed in shootout with Eastern Cape cops

Six armed suspects were fatally wounded during a shootout with police on N2 near Ndabakazi outside Butterworth after being found with firearms on Thursday.

According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa, members of the National Intervention Unit received information about two vehicles with firearms driving from Cofimvaba.

“Police spotted the vehicles next to Cofimvaba and attempted to stop them. The suspects sped off. A chase ensued, and a backup was called to assist in the chase,” said Mawisa.

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“While they were between Ndabakazi and Butterworth, the alleged suspects shot at the Police, who then retaliated. On investigation, six people were fatally wounded, and firearms were recovered from their vehicles.”

The case has been referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) for further investigation.

Firearms destroyed

The shootout occurred just as the South African Police Service (Saps) destroyed illegal firearms and ammunition on Thursday.

At least 16 049 were destroyed in Vanderbijlpark during the SAPS’ second destruction process of the 2024/2025 financial year. About 12 502 of those destroyed are handguns, while 1 921 are rifles, 1 305 shotguns and 47 combination firearms.

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This brings the total number of firearms and firearm parts destroyed over the past six years to 279 594, according to Maj Gen Nonkululeko Phokane.

They were seized during policing operations and forfeited to the state.

#sapsHQ The #SAPS has to continually detect and remove illegal firearms from circulation as they are being used to commit serious and violent crimes. Melting these firearms therefore ensures that the proliferation of firearms is dealt a blow. #GunDestruction #GunsOffTheStreets ME pic.twitter.com/M4uznIj7e9

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) February 20, 2025

Among those destroyed are also firearms linked to finalised cases related to violence against women and children, and cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies. Some were voluntarily surrendered, while others were handed in during the Amnesty period.

Provincial breakdown

Western Cape: 4 509

Gauteng: 4 159

KwaZulu-Natal: 3 241

Eastern Cape: 1 104

Free State: 1 046

Limpopo: 711

Mpumalanga: 461

North West: 459

Northern Cape: 359

Last week, police seized 129 unlicensed firearms and 1 823 rounds of ammunition during nationwide Shanela operations.

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