A family from Nanda Glebe, Durban, has revealed that their member, who was among the three killed by the police on Friday, was involved in criminal activities.
This family revealed that they are relatives of Mr Nkosikhona Ntuli (28) who is said to have worked at Transet, in Mtateni, Durban. Ntuli was shot, police and two other men died near KwaBester on Friday. According to the police, the incident happened after the dead “shot first”, and they returned fire.
According to them, the dead were involved in the murder of Constable Mvelo Gcabashe, who was shot in February last year. When Gcabashe was recently killed, reports said that he was attacked by two suspects who allegedly took away his work gun and mobile phone.
Nkosikhona Ntuli’s father, Mr. Amos Ntuli, said that his son was just killed.
“Last week, my son was parking his car right next to my house on the street. The nephew of one of the dead came out, opened the door and another car came and hit us and we were injured,” said Ntuli.
He said that on the day of the incident, the uncle of the boy who caused damage to the door of Nkosikhona’s car, who was traveling with another man, came and woke him up, saying that the money had been collected to buy a new one, so let’s go and check it.
He stated that they looked at shops that sell different car parts but could not find them, until they finally agreed that it should be taken to a mechanic who would install it.
“They said to stay with him for a while, until they had a barbecue at Chester’s house. It is said that before they parted, the mechanic went back to his workplace, they went home, he was carrying a white car that he noticed had been following them for some time,” said Ntuli.
He said they were in KwaBester when they were attacked by the police and they were all killed.
“My son was killed while sitting in the back seat. I was told by the mechanic that he asked someone else to drive and he was let go to sleep because when they woke him up at home, he was asleep because he had been coming in at night,” he said.
He said they were called to the scene of the incident after the taxi drivers informed them that they thought that Nkosikhona’s car was lying near KwaBester in an incident that was said to be a shootout between the suspects and the police.
He said that when they handed him over, the police refused to let them approach, denying that Nkosikhona was among the dead.
He revealed that it wasn’t until the sister of one of the other two, who was finally allowed to get close, came back and confirmed that Nkosikhona was among those killed.
“I feel bad for my child. This child has never been involved in crime since he was young. He finished school and went to study agriculture, and he failed. He finally got a job at Transnet, where he had worked for three years. The one that killed a policeman is nothing, this child has never even handled a toy gun,” said Ntuli.
He said that they have believed what people have always said that the police just lay him down and then plant their guns at the scene of the incident, saying that the suspects were the ones who shot them first.
“I wish to get justice for my child. Everyone in the area is talking about how he would not have died so painfully if he had lived a straight life,” he said.
Klebe KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson, Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, said they can confirm that three suspects were shot dead during a shootout between them and the police on Friday.
“They were wanted for the murder of Constable Gcabashe who was shot, died, and robbed of his service gun and mobile phone in February last year,” said Mhlongo.
He said two illegal guns and ammunition were found at the scene.
“The firearms found by the police will be examined to determine which crimes they have committed in the past,” said Mhlongo.