The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Khehla John Sitole has had to convey his condolences to a second family this weekend after a Constable, Thabo Mdluli was killed on the night of 23 May 2020, in Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga while attending to a hijacking in progress, followed by the killing of a Constable in Kwa-Nyuswa in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal.
In the latest incident Const Mdluli and two colleagues, a Sergeant and another Constable were on routine patrol duties in the Kwaggafontein policing precinct. While driving along the R573 road in Vlaklaagte, they came across a Toyota Corolla on the side of the road with the hazard lights flashing. As three members approached the Corolla, it sped off. The policemen followed the car resulting in a high speed chase for a few kilometres until it stopped. One of the suspects suddenly stopped, alighted from the car and without warning began shooting at the police.
The police returned fire but Costable Mdluli was hit. While the other two uninjured members were attending to Constable Mdluli, the suspects fled the scene on foot.
A remaining occupant in the Toyota Corolla told police that the suspects that fled the scene were holding him hostage after they had hijacked his vehicle.
He alleged that three suspects in a white sedan that had a blue light. The sedan left as soon as they hijacked him. However, before the suspects could drive off with him in the car the three police officers arrived.
The province has implemented the 72-Hour Activation Plan and all the necessary resources needed to investigate this incident have been mobilized.
The members that escaped the attack have been afforded the initial debriefing as prescribed by the Employee Health and Wellness. The family of the deceased member will also be afforded the necessary bereavement support.
The National Commissioner has sent his condolences to the family and he has called on the team investigating this incident to make sure that they trace and arrest the perpetrators. “We need to do everything possible to find these people masquerading as police officers and roaming around hijacking unsuspecting law abiding citizens. These suspects must be arrested and made to face the full might of the law both for the killing of our colleague as well as for the hijacking”, said General Sitole.
We are appealing to anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects to send crime tip-offs on the MySAPS App or to contact the SAPS Crime Stop number 086 00 10111.
All information received will be treated with strictest confidence.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
