NATIONAL NEWS - A man (65), who held his relatives hostage for six hours in Mountview, KwaZulu-Natal, has died.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) attended to the hostage situation, where three family members were being held hostage on Tuesday.
Rusa said that when they arrived at the scene, they were informed that an 18-year-old male had been shot in his left arm by his 65-year-old uncle.
The teenager’s 68-year-old grandmother, 38-year-old mother and 12-year-old brother were in the house at the time of the incident. The suspect was armed with a pistol.
He released the injured teenager after security officers negotiated his release. He was holding the rest of the family hostage.
According to Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram, an alleged extramarital affair led to the hostage situation.
“A hostage negotiator from the SAPS attempted to de-escalate the situation while members of the SAPS Special Task Force (STF) took up tactical positions around the home. At approximately 6.12 pm, SAPS officers breached the front door. The body of the suspect was located in a bedroom. He had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.
“Rusa medics examined the male, who was declared deceased at 6.19 pm. According to one of the victims, the suspect spoke to his wife telephonically before he proceeded to the bedroom. They heard a gunshot shortly thereafter.”
