A man who allegedly shot at a police patrol vehicle in Cato Manor, injuring two men and narrowly missing police officers, is expected to apply for bail in the Durban Magistrates Court on September 14, 2026.
Siphesihle Vezi, 30, was arrested at his workplace in Isipingo on September 3 and charged with attempted murder of police and two civilians in Cato Manor. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), widely known as the Hawks-Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation, arrested him.
A total of 17 police officers lost their lives, six of them on duty, between April and June 2026, the latest crime statistics from April to June 2026 revealed. According to the statistics, eleven police officers died while off-duty.
Police officers escaped unharmed
Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo explained that on August 24, police noticed a silver Toyota Etios parked at Bonela sports field.
Police officers approached the vehicle and found two people inside, one of them with an AK-47 and live rounds of ammunition. Police placed the men under arrest and put them in the back seat of the police vehicle.
“While police were driving on Dunbar Road towards the police station, they were followed by two vehicles, a white Toyota Double Cab and a white Toyota Corolla Cross. The occupants of the two vehicles fired shots towards the police and injured the two arrested suspects,” Mhlongo said.
The police officers escaped unharmed, but the police vehicle was riddled with bullets.
Mhlongo said the two injured suspects were taken to hospital for medical attention. One suspect, Makhosonke Zungu, 60, was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. He will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on September 28, 2026.
The second accused was released without being charged.
Planning a cash-in-transit robbery
Mhlongo said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the injured suspects were going to meet with the occupants of the two vehicles to plan a cash-in-transit robbery. Police said the driver of the Toyota Double Cab was identified as Vezi.
The KwaZulu-Natal acting DPCI Provincial Head, Brigadier Zenobia Mulligan, welcomed the arrest of the suspect and commended the members for their good work.
Police safety action plan
On Sunday, at the SAPS National Commemoration Day, President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to 12 police officers who gave their lives in service between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
Nine of these members were from Gauteng, with one each from North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
“The circumstances of these deaths should concern us deeply. Several members were killed while crewing the same shift, responding to business robbery complaints or transporting awaiting-trial prisoners. Others died on routine crime prevention and patrol duties in their own precincts. The youngest was only 25 years old,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that when criminals target a police officer, they are attacking the integrity of the State, the rule of law and the constitutional order. Ramaphosa also announced plans for the implementation of the police safety action plan called: Think First – Act Safe: Every Call, Every Time.
“This plan is structured around governance, proactive and reactive interventions, the safety of police stations and infrastructure, redress and support. It includes monitoring and evaluation, with provincial plans aligned to the national framework,” Ramaphosa said.
