Eastern Cape taxi boss Celani Twazi was shot dead during a shootout with members of the South African Police Service National Intervention Unit in Mpindweni. The NIU was executing a search warrant at a premises in the area when an exchange of gunfire occurred. Police recovered a firearm used during the incident at the scene.
Twazi had been linked to the killings of two police officers in Libode earlier this month. The latest operation formed part of ongoing efforts to track down individuals connected to those murders.
On Friday 18 September 2026, in the early hours of the morning, two SAPS members were fatally shot at Ziphunzana Location in Libode, near Mthatha. The deceased were Warrant Officer Thando Magoxo, aged 51, attached to the Mthatha National Intervention Unit, and Constable Ntlahla Tyhali, aged 30, from the Mthatha Public Order Policing Unit.
The officers had responded to a call for assistance after armed suspects attacked a spaza shop and demanded money from the operator. They were later found with gunshot wounds. Both their service pistols were taken. A cordless grinder, allegedly used to cut the shop’s burglar door, was recovered at the scene.
Police opened cases of two counts of murder, two counts of attack on police, two counts of robbery of police firearms, and one count of attempted business robbery. Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Vuyisile Ncata described the killings as an attack on the State and confirmed that a multi-disciplinary team had been deployed with a 72-hour plan activated to trace and arrest the suspects. Preliminary intelligence was being followed up.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane directed that maximum resources be deployed. She stated that the killing of officers responding to a call for assistance constituted an attack on those who place themselves in harm’s way and on the authority of the State. She ordered that no resources be spared in the pursuit of the perpetrators and the recovery of the stolen firearms.
In the days that followed, police reported progress under the 72-hour operation. On Friday 19 September, an intelligence-driven operation by Mthatha Crime Intelligence and Mthatha K9 at Ngolo Location in Sibangweni resulted in the arrest of two suspects — a 29-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man — found in possession of an AK-47 rifle and assorted ammunition. They face charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Later that night, at approximately 23:55, NIU members acted on information placing one suspect along the N2 at Sibangweni Location, Libode, towards Tsolo. On arrival, the 35-year-old man allegedly opened fire on police. Officers returned fire and the suspect was fatally wounded. A pistol with three rounds of ammunition was recovered.
Further follow-up operations at Ngolo Village, Libode, led to two other male suspects, also linked to the police murders, being fatally wounded. Two handguns were recovered. In total, one AK-47 rifle and three handguns were recovered in connection with the earlier phases of the investigation. Charges under investigation include attacks on police, attempted murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
On 21 September, Lieutenant General Dimpane publicly commended the Eastern Cape police for the swift activation of the operational plan, intelligence gathering, and coordinated multidisciplinary response that produced the arrests and the fatal wounding of three suspects.
The operation in Mpindweni on 22 September, in which Celani Twazi was killed, continued these efforts. According to reports, the NIU was executing a search warrant when the shootout occurred and a firearm was recovered at the scene. Twazi had been identified as linked to the Libode police killings.
The investigation into the murders of Warrant Officer Magoxo and Constable Tyhali remains active. Police have appealed for members of the public with information to contact the nearest police station, Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or use the MySAPS App.
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