Canaan Mdletshe

Canaan Mdletshe

The police have vowed to use all their resources to hunt down a gang of brazen killers who attacked a police station before torturing and then killing Inspector Sipho "Nyuwane" Gumede.

Gumede was shot dead on Thursday when five armed men attacked the Ezibayeni police station, in Hluhluwe, northern Zululand, at 10pm.

Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said a suspect from Mtubatuba had been arrested and the investigators hoped he would shed light on his colleagues' whereabouts.

Mngomezulu said Gumede was alone in the charge office when he was attacked.

"Two officers were out and two asleep in the barracks when five men entered the charge office," Mngomezulu said.

"They demanded the keys to the firearms safe. Gumede refused to hand them over. He was taken out of the charge office, assaulted and then shot twice.

"While some of the men were assaulting Gumede others ransacked the station and stole cellphones, two caps and a bulletproof vest.

"The sleeping officers were woken by the gunshots. They were able to shoot one suspect who was trying to escape by car. An AK-47 and a bulletproof vest were recovered."

Gumede and the wounded suspect died on the way to hospital.

Mngomezulu said the rest of the gang fled on foot with the inspector's service pistol and other stolen items.

The gang had started their reign of terror by hijacking a car in Nsimbini reserve, in S'khawini.

They abducted its owner, Vusi Erasmus Gumede, 44, killed him and dumped his body in the Steza forest.

Mngomezulu said the gang then went to Hluhluwe, dumped the first car and hijacked another at a garage. They used the second vehicle in their attack on the police station.

The police are offering a R200000 reward.