South African police 'hit squad' in court EIGHTEEN South African police officers from a top anti-crime unit accused of acting as a hit squad have appeared in court charged with murder and unlawful possession of firearms. The group appeared before a court in the eastern port city of Durban overnight facing a litany of charges including 14 counts of murder, housebreaking and defeating the ends of justice. Colonel Frans Khola, one of the detectives drawn from the elite Hawks police unit, said some of those killed by the group were not even suspects in crimes the officers were investigating. He cited the gunning down of a 16-year-old when officers burst into a house in pursuit of a suspect. A total of 20 officers were arrested in Durban and around Johannesburg and Pretoria in a swoop by a team of more than 60 detectives on Wednesday. Two of them were freed yesterday after charges against them were dropped, prosecutions spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said. There were no charges laid against them. But the investigations are still under way, and anything can happen," Mr Mhaga said. The group returns to court on Friday for bail applications, he said. This is the first phase of the investigation. We expect that more arrests will follow in the next phases," police said. The Durban-organised crime unit was probed after the local Sunday Times reported on assassinations and post-kill celebrations including a picture of officers partying with guns and booze after killing five robbery suspects. The group, which was disbanded, has been linked to 51 suspicious deaths. Amnesty International said the arrests of the police "allegedly linked to numerous unlawful killings and incidents of torture is a breakthrough in fighting impunity for grave human rights violations in the country." South Africa's apartheid-era police force was renowned for its brutality, with state-sanctioned killings to prop up the white-minority rule which ended 18 years ago. It now battles one of the world's highest violent crime rates, making it one of the most dangerous nations outside conflict zones with almost 16,000 murders a year, but has been mired in scandals that reach the highest levels. The controversies also extend to heavy-handed police action against suspects - with 797 deaths in custody or as a result of police action in the 2010-2011 financial year - and crimes carried out by members.