A gogo was killed in a case of mistaken identity on Sunday in Ntabamhlophe outside Escourt in the Midlands of KwaZulu Natal. According to the police, the bullet that killed the 63-year-old gogo was meant for her daughter. The four hitmen and the woman who allegedly ordered the hit were arrested not long after the murder on Sunday.

The hitmen were allegedly hired by a woman who suspected that the target was in a relationship with her boyfriend. According to the KZN SAPS spokesperson Robert Netshiunda, a 30-year-old woman reportedly hired hitmen to kill another woman whom she accused of having an affair with her boyfriend. The woman travelled with the four men to Ntabamhlophe where the hit was to be carried out. "The suspects were arrested on the N3 highway by the Pietermaritzburg Public Order Policing who were performing crime prevention duties when they tried to stop the car, they were travelling in but failed to stop. "They were arrested after a high-speed chase with the police along the N3 next to Mooi River tollgate," Netshiunda said. 

Netshiunda said that reports suggest that the suspects shot the mother of the intended victim in a case of mistaken identity. "The 63-year-old woman was certified dead at the scene and the suspects fled the scene. The police officers were alerted of the incident and intercepted the vehicle near the Mooi River Toll Plaza," he said, adding that the woman claimed to have asked for a lift from the four men, however preliminary investigations confirmed that she was the owner of the vehicle. All five suspects were arrested and one of them had blood stains on his clothing. Netshiunda added that whilst still at the crime scene, community members who chased the vehicle from Ntabamhlophe arrived and confirmed that the vehicle in which the suspects were traveling was seen leaving the crime scene and they gave chase. "One of the arrested suspects has already been identified as a hitman who has been on the police's list of wanted suspects in connection with murder cases," he said. A firearm with three rounds of ammunition was found in the possession of the suspects.

The five suspects, aged between 25 and 32 years old will appear in court soon.