Tavern where four died in Mandeni had previously been closed by police
According to reports, the two officers who were killed at the Ntshalanang Tavern last night were unarmed.
The Mandeni tavern where four people were killed last night had previously been shuttered by cops and the owner charged.
Ntshalanang Tavern in the Bhidla Section of Sundumbili, Mandeni was the scene of a brutal shootout which killed four men, two of them off-duty police offers.
In addition to the four men killed, another four were injured.
As previously reported by the Courier, the shoot-out is believed to have been caused by a fight in the tavern, where all parties involved were allegedly drinking.
The two police constables who were killed have since been revealed as Phakamani Khuzwayo from Sundimbili Police Station and Lethukuthula Madlala of Nyoni Police Station.
Both had been recruited into the police force in 2023.
Phumlani Vezi, operations manager for IPSS Security, who arrived at the scene minutes after the shooting, described the harrowing aftermath.
“When I entered the tavern, people were lying on the ground. They appeared to be between the ages of 25 and 35. Together with other residents, we helped load some of the injured into a private vehicle to rush them to hospital before the ambulance arrived, but three were already dead,” said Vezi.
He added that, according to eyewitnesses, the two officers were unarmed.
Khuzwayo is the second officer from Sundumbili Police Station to be killed in the last year, following the fatal shooting of Sergeant Sibongiseni Khoza in the line of duty last April.
Photo: IPSS Medical Rescue.
iLembe district commissioner, Major General Anthony Gopaul, confirmed a case of murder and attempted murder has been opened and is currently under investigation by the provincial organised crime unit.
He also extended his condolences to the families of those who died.
He further cautioned members of Saps against frequenting taverns or unlicensed establishments, as doing so constitutes a breach of the Saps code of conduct.
Officers engaging in such misconduct will face serious consequences under police management.
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