More charges for 'killer cops'

"Many more" charges will be added to the final indictments of 18 policemen from Durban's Cato Manor Organised Crime Unit on Friday.

When the policemen appeared in court in June, the investigating officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Khola, said the men would face a further 16 counts of murder when investigations were concluded.

Yesterday the Independent Police Investigative Directorate's Moses Dlamini said the investigation was complete and that "many more" charges would be added.

"I cannot say what they are now but there are many more than just those 16 . including murder," he said.

The policemen have already been charged with 71 counts, including 14 of murder, four of housebreaking, 14 of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, 14 of defeating the ends of justice, four of assault and three of theft.

Last week the policemen launched a high court challenge against the minister of police, Khola and the magistrate who authorised the search warrants.

They want the court to order the return of everything taken during the police raids because the warrants authorised the search team to "roam at large" through their homes. In court papers, the policemen say the search team disregarded the law and decency, and went through their wives' underwear and seized their children's possessions.

The state has a month to file its response before the case goes to court in October.

The policemen are out on bail and have returned to work.

One of the murder counts they face relates to the killing of taxi boss Bongani Mkhize, who was gunned down three months after he obtained a court order restraining the unit from killing him.

Khola accused the officers of fatally shooting 16-year-old Kwazi Ndlovu in his sleep.

Eleven unit members allegedly travelled to Melmoth, northern KwaZulu-Natal, and shot dead Velaphi Biyela in his sleep.

In December, the Sunday Times published pictures of police officers who appeared to be celebrating at a crime scene.

Several witnesses claimed that the unit members "executed" suspects and often held booze-fuelled parties afterwards.