KZN ‘mental patient’ killed by special task force member after alleged spear attack

A 52-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man, believed to have been a mental patient, was shot by a member of the special task force after allegedly killing his brother with a spear and attempting to attack a hostage negotiator on Thursday morning. 

According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), who are investigating the matter, the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning in the KwaMoya area of Umbumbulu, southwest of Durban. 

Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said shortly after 3am, the man had forcefully entered the home where his younger brother lived and stabbed him seven times in the chest with a spear. 

“He then left the house to his mud room. The police were summoned and tried to calm him down to make an arrest, but he resisted.”

Langa said a hostage negotiator was called in to quell tensions but also failed to calm the man.

“Task force members were then summoned. The man came out of his room and [after he] advanced towards the negotiator with a spear in his hand, the task force captain shot him.”

Langa said the task force members were stationed at the Bluff base, south of Durban. 

The man sustained five gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene. 

Langa said eight spent cartridges were recovered. Both bodies were taken to the mortuary. 

TimesLIVE