Chatsworth residents, teachers and pupils are mourning the loss of Nokuthula Mbanjwa, who was killed in the crossfire between security officers and heavily armed heist robbers, during a high speed chase on Silverglen Drive, yesterday afternoon.
The robbers had bombed a Fidelity ADT van on the N2 near the NPC cement factory on Tuesday morning and were making their getaway when Mbanjwa was killed.
Mbanjwa, who would have turned 40 on Valentine’s Day, served as a security guard at Lotus Primary School in Westcliff for the past four years.
The mother of one, from Lamontville, was on her way to work - walking to Silverglen Drive to catch a taxi to school - when she was shot multiple times by the robbers. They were shooting from the sunroof of the Mercedes Benz they had used in the heist.
Vilosh Naidoo, a teacher at the school, said the teachers, pupils, parents and those who lived near the school in the close-knit community were devastated by Mbanjwa’s death.
“When we heard that she had been shot after the heist, at first we thought that it was a hoax. We called her phone and her brother answered. He confirmed that she had been shot and did not survive.
“We are in shock. We cannot believe that she was killed in this manner. Nokuthula was a vibrant, happy, fun loving and caring person. She took care of the children after school while they waited for their transport. She would also make sure that all the children were safe outside the gates.
“Now, everyone is saddened that they will not see her again. There will never be another guard who can fulfill her role, as she was like a mother to the children at our school.
“Her face is the first one we saw every morning when she opened the gate and she always greeted us with the biggest smile. She was loved by everyone at the school and the community. Her death has left a void in our lives,” Naidoo said.
Yesterday afternoon, police were involved in a shootout between suspects linked to the heist.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, spokesperson for KZN police, said: “One suspect who was being pursued by police in connection with a cash in transit robbery that happened on the N2 Highway southbound in the south coast of Durban on Tuesday morning was shot and fatally wounded during a shootout with police in Glenwood, on Tuesday afternoon.
“Police followed up information regarding the vehicles which were spotted fleeing from the cash in transit robbery crime scene. The identified vehicle was intercepted at an intersection in Glenwood and the suspects opened fire towards the police. Police retaliated and during the shootout, one suspect was shot and fatally wounded and the other one was rushed to hospital with gunshot injuries. No police officer was injured during the shootout,” he added.
He said the two suspects had also been positively linked with the triple murder case which happened at the Ntambanana policing precinct in January 2025 and a double murder case which was committed in June 2024 in the same area.
“With regards to the cash in transit robbery, another vehicle which was hijacked at KwaMakhutha area and used in the robbery has just been found abandoned in Mariannhill, with what looked to be money bags inside. The crime scene is yet to be properly processed,” he added.