POLICE have denied any link to political violence in the gunning down of 26-year-old Xolani Zulu in Greytown, in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

Zulu was killed in a shootout with police in Umlazi last Friday as he was allegedly waiting for people to pick him up and transport him to Greytown, apparently to kill a person for R120000.

Though refusing to divulge much information, police spokesperson Superintendent Buhle Ngidi yesterday said that there was nothing linking Zulu's alleged planned crime to politics.

"At this stage, police investigations are continuing, but I can safely say that the deceased had not been paid to kill a politician or a councilor. So the crime has no political link," said Ngidi.

Members of the Crime Intelligence Unit had allegedly been tipped off that Zulu - a wanted fugitive - had been "hired to kill" a person in Greytown.

"Zulu had arranged to meet a group of men at Umlazi. They were to take him to Greytown, where he was allegedly going to kill a person.

"Police learnt about this and impersonated the group of men. When he realised that it was police, he pulled out a firearm and police defended themselves by shooting him dead," Ngidi said.

He said an illegal firearm and four bullets had been found in the dead man's possession.

"Zulu was also wanted for two murder cases in Matimatolo and two other murder cases in Greytown," Ngidi said.