KZN prosecutor dies in hail of bullets outside Umlazi court

A regional court prosecutor from Pietermaritzburg died in a hail of bullets outside the Umlazi magistrate's court, south of Durban, on Wednesday. 

Sources close to the investigation confirmed to TimesLIVE that the prosecutor had been involved in a case against two policemen charged with murder. 

Police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said the shooting occurred at 9am.

“A 36-year-old man was driving his vehicle along Solo Road in Umlazi. When he was about to enter the court [premises] a vehicle with unknown suspects blocked his vehicle. Two men alighted from the vehicle and fired several shots at him and fled in their getaway vehicle. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body and was declared dead at the scene. The motive for the killing is unknown.”

Naicker said a case of murder was opened for investigation by Umlazi police and the provincial investigative unit has taken over the investigation.

NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara confirmed the shooting.

“I can confirm that one of our prosecutors, who is a regional court prosecutor from Pietermaritzburg, had gone to Umlazi to finish partly-heard matters and was shot at the court where he succumbed to his wounds and passed away.”

TimesLIVE