Four of seven suspects in Wednesday’s shooting incident in Peddie were arrested in Kenton on Sea’s Ekuphumleni township. The shooting incident occurred around 11am on Wednesday 27 July at the Peddie taxi rank.
South African Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the Border Alliance Taxi Association (BATA) was having an executive meeting at the rank when three men arrived carrying firearms and started shooting at the meeting.
Those in the meeting had returned fire and during the exchange, one of the assailants was injured.
“On receiving the information and as they arrived at the scene, the police chased the suspects who were subsequently arrested near… Gqeberha,” Kinana said.
The injured man was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention and the other two were arrested.
“During the investigation, the detectives were informed that other suspects were hiding at Kenton on Sea and with them were three fire-arms, two shotguns, a pistol and ammunition,” Kinana said.
Four other suspects aged between 28 and 44 were arrested in different houses at Ekuphumleni, Kenton-on-Sea, and three fire-arms and live ammunition were confiscated.
All four suspects were charged for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, while three who were arrested in Motherwell were charged for attempted murder. They appeared in the Alexandria Magistrate court on Friday 29 July 2022 and both cases were postponed to 3 and 4 August 2022 for further investigation and formal bail application. The total number of the arrested suspects is seven.
Kinana said a quick response by the South African Police Service had potentially saved about 18 people from a bloodbath in the Peddie incident.
Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, expressed gratitude to SAPS members who saved many lives by arresting and confiscating the deadly guns and ammunition from the suspects.
