DURBAN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) is demanding urgent parliamentary oversight of police accountability measures after five wanted suspects were shot dead during a dramatic police operation in Inanda, north of Durban, on Thursday morning (8 January).
The fatal confrontation occurred in the Bester area during what police described as an operation targeting suspects wanted for serious violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery.
South African Police Service members allegedly came under fire during the operation and returned fire, resulting in all five suspects being fatally wounded. No police officers were reported injured in the incident.
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The shooting follows another deadly encounter earlier this week, when two murder suspects were killed during a police operation in Amaoti, also in KwaZulu-Natal. The suspects were wanted in connection with a shooting in Ezimangweni, Inanda, which had left two people dead and one injured.
These incidents have intensified calls from the DA for the immediate implementation of police body-worn cameras, the DA’s Mzamo Billy demanding that the Ministry of Police brief Parliament on the stalled rollout.
“The repeated reliance on claims that suspects fired first, without independently verifiable, objective evidence, undermines public confidence and highlights a critical gap in oversight,” Billy stated in a press release following the incidents.
The continued absence of body-worn cameras places everyone at risk. Police officers are left exposed to contested versions of events, while communities are left without independent proof when lives are lost during SAPS operations.
The DA’s concerns extend beyond the recent KwaZulu-Natal operations, referencing the tragic Port Shepstone incident where businessman Mlondi Gasela and his security guard were killed during a police operation. In each case, police statements indicate that suspects opened fire first, but the absence of independent evidence has raised questions about transparency and accountability.
Billy, who serves as a DA NCOP Member on Security and Justice, has repeatedly advocated for body-worn cameras during parliamentary committee engagements. The former Minister of Police had publicly committed to implementing the technology from April 2025, a deadline that has now passed without meaningful updates on status, funding, or implementation timelines.
According to police reports, both recent KwaZulu-Natal incidents form part of intensified operations targeting violent crime in Inanda, described as one of the most crime-affected policing precincts in the province. Firearms were reportedly recovered at both crime scenes, and investigations into the incidents are continuing under the oversight of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
The DA argues that body-worn cameras would provide objective evidence of police operations, ensure accountability when lethal force is used, protect both civilians and police officers by establishing facts, and restore public trust in policing outcomes.
“The continued absence of body-worn cameras places everyone at risk,” Billy stated. “Police officers are left exposed to contested versions of events, while communities are left without independent proof when lives are lost during SAPS operations.”
The party has called on the Ministry of Police to urgently account to Parliament for the failure to implement the promised technology and to provide clear, binding timelines for the rollout.
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