Anthony Gounden, a 44-year-old man alleged to be the leader of the Tatu gang, was killed in a targeted ambush early this morning at a petrol station near Sibaya. The shooting occurred around 3 a.m. At a BP garage, where gunmen opened fire on Gounden while he was seated in his minibus taxi.
The incident, which left Gounden dead at the scene, took place just days before he was scheduled to appear in the Durban Regional Court to begin a trial for the attempted murder of an off-duty metro police officer. The violence marks another escalation in a long-running cycle of gang-related conflict affecting the Verulam and Phoenix areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to police sources, Gounden was accompanied by two other individuals when they stopped at the garage. As Gounden sat in his vehicle parked in front of the convenience store, two men approached and fired multiple rounds. A second man, standing near the taxi, was grazed by a bullet in the neck and received medical treatment for his injuries.
The ambush was interrupted by an off-duty Verulam police officer who happened to be in the vicinity. The officer returned fire using a private firearm, prompting the gunmen to fire back before fleeing the scene toward the Sibaya Casino. Emergency responders pronounced Gounden dead at the scene shortly after the attack.
A Night of Escalation in Umhlanga
Investigators believe the assassination may have been the culmination of events that began hours earlier. Police sources indicated that an altercation took place at a sports bar in Umhlanga earlier in the night, during which gunshots were reportedly fired. Law enforcement officials are treating this dispute as a primary possible motive for the subsequent ambush at the BP garage.
The details of the ambush too highlighted the complex relationship between Gounden and certain elements of law enforcement. One of the individuals present during the shooting was a former police constable from Verulam who had previously served as Gounden’s bodyguard. This individual had been dismissed from the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2024 after he was allegedly caught using a marked police vehicle, while in full uniform, to transport drugs for Gounden in Umhlanga.
Police sources stated that the former officer fled the scene immediately as the shooting began, leaving Gounden and the other companion behind.
Legal History and the Tatu Gang
Anthony Gounden, known by the alias “Tatu,” was a central figure in the criminal landscape of Verulam. His death removes a key defendant from a series of high-profile cases involving drug trafficking and organized violence. Gounden had a extensive criminal record, facing a variety of serious charges over several years that mirrored the volatility of the gang wars in the region.
His legal troubles were set to peak next week with the start of his trial regarding a March 9, 2024, incident involving the attempted murder of a metro police officer. Beyond that specific case, Gounden had been linked to a wide array of offenses including fraud, the unlawful possession of firearms, and defeating the course of justice.
| Charge Category | Associated Activities | Regional Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | Attempted murder of law enforcement | High-profile attacks on metro police |
| Narcotics | Drug dealing and trafficking | Distribution networks in Verulam/Phoenix |
| Legal Interference | Fraud; defeating the course of justice | Corruption of police officials |
| Weaponry | Unlawful possession of firearms | Arming of gang members |
The Impact on Verulam and Phoenix
The killing of the alleged Tatu gang boss is more than an isolated hit; It’s a symptom of the systemic gang warfare that has plagued Verulam and Phoenix. These regions have seen a recurring pattern of “tit-for-tat” killings, often centered around the control of drug territories and the recruitment of local youth into organized crime structures.
The involvement of a former SAPS officer as a bodyguard for Gounden underscores the challenges facing the South African justice system, where the infiltration of organized crime into police ranks has occasionally hindered the prosecution of gang leaders. The dismissal of the constable in 2024 was a rare instance of internal accountability, yet the fact that he remained in Gounden’s inner circle until the moment of the ambush suggests a persistent shadow economy of protection and loyalty.
Andreas Mathos, a spokesperson for Marshall Security, confirmed that the security firm received a panic alert from the BP garage at approximately 3:05 a.m. Security personnel arriving on the scene found Gounden deceased and the other victim wounded.
What remains unknown
While the Umhlanga sports bar incident is a lead, investigators have not yet officially identified the gunmen or confirmed if they belong to a rival faction or a specific hit squad. The motive remains “believed” rather than confirmed, as police continue to analyze CCTV footage from the garage and the surrounding areas leading toward the Sibaya Casino.
The nature of the “Tatu gang” and its current leadership structure also remains a point of investigation. In many organized crime hierarchies, the removal of a leader can either lead to a temporary lull in violence or a violent power struggle among subordinates vying for control.
For those seeking updates on regional safety or reporting suspicious activity, the South African Police Service encourages the utilize of their official crime stop hotlines.
The next official checkpoint in this matter will be the formal processing of the crime scene evidence and the potential identification of the suspects. While the trial for the March 2024 attempted murder will no longer proceed due to the defendant’s death, police are expected to continue investigations into the broader network associated with the Tatu gang.
We invite readers to share their thoughts or provide verified information in the comments section below.
