Three suspects, who were wanted for a string of extortion and murder cases in the eThekwini district, were shot and fatally wounded in two separate incidents of shootouts with police in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday afternoon and the early hours of Thursday as police continue to fight the scourge of extortion.

On Wednesday afternoon, police followed up information regarding the whereabouts of a suspect, who was wanted for at least four cases of extortion and another four counts of murder, which he allegedly committed in the KwaNdengezi and Mariannhill areas, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said.

When police arrived at a house at Gilebe in Inanda, the suspect fired shots at the police and during the shootout, the suspect was shot and fatally wounded. He was found in possession of a pistol with four rounds of ammunition.

In another incident on Thursday, police operationalised intelligence which uncovered the hideout spot of two suspects, who were also wanted for extortion and murder cases.

The suspects were cornered at Edabe informal settlement in Tshelimnyama, Mariannhill, and the suspects shot at the police from inside the house.

In self-defence, police returned fire and during the shootout, the two suspects were shot and fatally wounded. They were found in possession of two firearms.

The three dead suspects had linkages to the six suspects, who were shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with police at a holiday accommodation in South Beach, Durban, in the beginning of September 2024.

Last month Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said police were hard at work fighting extortion and other related crimes in parts of the country on a daily basis. He said four provinces, namely Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, currently bear 73% of crime levels in South Africa, and the gravity of these crimes alone, including extortion, is of serious concern to the police.

“Extortion has been emerging over time and has now reached levels where all communities in our country beyond the four provinces have become very angry, bitter and agitated. The pain has gone very deep,” Mchunu said.

“It is unacceptable that small businesses, schools and communities are subjected to additional and unlawful taxes that squeeze out the little resources they make,” said Ian Cameron, Chairperson of the Portfolio Police Committee.

The committee said the response to the scourge of extortion requires a coordinated and focused approach. It also reflects the realisation that the police alone cannot win the war against extortionists. A whole society approach has to be adopted, where all stakeholders contribute towards a common goal, the Committee said.

“We have developed an Extortion Action Plan and thus far, we are pleased with the manner in which this plan is being implemented throughout the country. As management, we are particularly encouraged with how our police officers are addressing the crime of extortion across all provinces that have been identified as hotspots,” National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said in mid-September.

“We are following up on tip-offs and information shared through our hotlines and crime stop number. We are fetching each of these extortionists, one by one,” he said, adding that in the first two weeks of September, 14 extortionists were shot and killed during confrontation with police in various provinces.

Masemola said the crime of extortion requires a specialised investigative capacity and that is why police have deployed specialist teams led by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), crime intelligence and organised crime units to lead these investigations.