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Five arrested for fatal shooting of Ermelo police commander

The Mpumalanga SAPS made the arrest in less than 24 hours after the incident.

The Mpumalanga SAPS has arrested five suspects, aged between 29 and 40, believed to be linked to the killing of an on-duty Ermelo police commander of the Vehicle Identification Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Piet Pretorius.

Pretorius was shot multiple times in Ermelo at about 14:00 on Thursday, January 16. A 72-hour plan was activated to find the perpetrators.

“The acting provincial police commissioner established a multidisciplinary team consisting of the Hawks, some detectives, crime intelligence and a security company, and they managed to track the suspects to Mbombela,” said a provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane.

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She said a vehicle believed to have been used in the commission of crime was found torched next to Ext 7 in Ermelo earlier this morning, January 17.

The torched vehicle in Ermelo.

“Circumstances surrounding this incident are still sketchy at this stage, but more details will be shared at a later stage. However, it was reported that Pretorius had been driving in an official vehicle when he was shot. The vehicle is riddled with bullet holes. After the shooting, the assailants allegedly got into a white sedan and fled the scene,” Ndubane said.

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