A man-hunt reaped rewards after 33-year-old man was arrested in Johannesburg hours after a police officer was gunned down in Burgersfort, Limpopo by a group of armed men.

The arrest was made after the suspect was tracked by a multidisciplinary team comprising Limpopo and Gauteng police officers as well as several security companies.

In the early hours of Saturday an off-duty police official who was stationed in Burgersfort, was allegedly gunned down in Lebowakgomo by unknown assailants driving in a bronze Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI.

The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, immediately activated a 72-hour-plan to hunt down the suspects.

Their investigation led the team to Braamfontein in Johannesburg, Gauteng where the suspected vehicle with three occupants was spotted, followed and tactically cornered.

The driver of the vehicle, who is suspected to be the one that killed the cop in Lebowakgomo, was placed under arrest. Further investigation led the team to his house at Rooihuiskraal in Centurion.

Upon searching the house, the team found a firearm suspected to have been used in the murder. The team also seized a vehicle (GTI Golf 7), a large amount of money and a cellphone.

The investigation to establish if the suspect is involved in other crimes is underway.

The suspect will appear in the Lebowakgomo Magistrate’s Court to face charges of murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Lebeya applauded the swift reaction of the team.

The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Limpopo, Major General Gopz Govender, led the multidisciplinary team comprising the Limpopo Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Tracking Team, National Crime Intelligence, Gauteng Highway Patrol, Bravlor Risk, Tracker Connect, ICB-Insurance Crime Bureau, BadBoyz Security, GTP Sleu, Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department and Trio Tactical.

“Although there was a 72-hour operational plan in place, the case was cracked within eight hours,” Lebeya says. – SAnews.gov.za