KZN shooting sparks stand-off

2009-06-06 17:10

Durban - Police were patrolling the Glebelands hostel in Umlazi on Saturday afternoon following a shooting incident that sparked a stand-off between residents earlier in the day, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Superintendent Jay Naicker said a stand-off between hostel dwellers erupted following the shooting of a 32-year-old man at 06:00.

"Apparently the 32-year-old man was confronted by a group of men at 06:00. When he tried to run out of the hostel, they fired two shots towards him and he was struck on the shoulder and knee," Naicker said.

Following the shooting, a group of hostel dwellers gathered around trying to avenge the man's shooting, he said.

This led police to fire rubber bullets at the group, leaving two people with minor injuries.

"We had to use rubber bullets to disperse them because we didn't want to have a situation where people were being intimidated," he said.

The 32-year-old man was rushed to hospital and police are investigating a case of attempted murder, Naicker said.

He could not be drawn on whether the stand-off at the hostel was between African National Congress and Congress of The People (Cope) supporters.

But Cope's provincial secretary Phillip Mhlongo said violence erupted at the hostel after ANC supporters were bussed in on Friday night to disrupt a planned visit my Cope leaders.

Terror Lekota and Mvume Dandala were to visit the hostel to "assess damage done by ANC violence" from 100:0.

"This morning when we got to the hostel, ANC people started shooting at our supporters," Mhlongo said.

ANC provincial spokesperson Nomfundo Mcetywa could not immediately be reached for comment.

- SAPA