BLOEMFONTEIN — Two businessmen were allegedly gunned down at their offices in Bochabela, Bloemfontein, on Wednesday morning, in a shooting now under investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mangaung Metro.
Emergency Medical Services personnel from ER24 attended the scene and declared two males deceased, according to the initial police account. The names of the two men were not released in the statement.
Shooting reported shortly before 09:00
It is alleged that SAPS received a complaint from radio control at approximately 08:51 on Wednesday. Members attended the scene at about 09:00, where a witness who was alone in the yard allegedly heard gunshots coming from upstairs.
On going outside, the witness allegedly saw a male jumping into a white hatchback motor vehicle and fleeing the scene, the police account states.
The incident was initially reported at offices on Ramatsoele Street in Bochabela, while the police account records officers attending a scene on Morakile Street. The differing street references were not clarified in the initial communication, and further detail is expected as the investigation develops.
Passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds
According to the police account, the passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds, while the status of the driver had not yet been confirmed. ER24 personnel declared two males deceased at the scene.
The initial statement did not identify a suspect, outline a possible motive, or confirm any arrests. Investigators have not yet published a reconstruction of how the two men came to be at the premises when the shots were fired.
Specialist units activated as senior officers visit scene
A broad policing response has been mobilised. Role players activated and currently on scene include Crime Intelligence, Public Order Policing, Mangaung Detectives, the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, and Forensic Services.
Lieutenant General Thabang Solomon Lesia visited the crime scene, accompanied by Major General Makhele and Brigadier Thandi Mbambo. A crime scene investigation was underway at the time of the statement.
The deployment of forensic and specialist crime units indicates that evidence collection forms part of the immediate response, alongside the visible policing presence in the neighbourhood.
Preliminary account, further statement expected
The information released so far remains preliminary. Several elements of the incident — including the witness account of gunshots from upstairs and the description of a man escaping in a white hatchback — are recorded as allegations pending verification through the investigation.
Among the questions still outstanding are the precise location reference, the status recorded for the driver, and the identity and whereabouts of the person who allegedly fled in the vehicle.
SAPS said a detailed media statement would be issued in due course. That statement is expected to set out a fuller account of the sequence of events and the progress of the Bloemfontein shooting investigation.
