Police hunt for group of suspects who shot at Pretoria police, killing one
“Police are searching for suspects who were driving a maroon Golf 1.”
Police have launched a manhunt for the killers of one of their own in the north of Pretoria at the weekend.
According to spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, four officers on a crime prevention patrol were fired at in Mabopane.
She said Sergeant Holeng Makobe died in a hail of bullets and his colleagues were injured.
“Gauteng police are on a hunt for a group of suspects who shot and killed the sergeant who was on a crime prevention patrol in the area,” Mathe said.
She said the three constables, who were with Makobe, are recovering in hospital.
“Police are searching for suspects in a maroon Golf 1.”
Mathe appealed to anyone with information to contact the Crime Stop hotline on 08600 10111.
“Information will be treated with the strictest of confidence.”
The killing occurred against the backdrop of President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for an end to police killings.
Ramaphosa was speaking at a remembrance ceremony for 34 officers killed in the line of duty in the past year earlier this month.
He said 30 of the slain were men and four women and that their names had been inscribed on the Memorial Wall at the Union Buildings on September 3, with their devastated family members in attendance.
This was to memorialise their contribution to the fight against crime and the effort to safeguard South Africans.
This annual event’s procession was attended by the president, together with Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola and the next of kin of the fallen heroes and heroines’ who later laid wreaths in honour of their loved ones.
“From April last year to March 2023, 34 officers, including four women were brutally killed while on duty in South Africa,” Cele said.
Ramaphosa said: “Attacks on police officers must come to an end and there must be justice for the families of our fallen heroes and heroines.
“Far too many of our officers are dying on duty. The South African police management needs to improve the wellness of police officers.”
More officers have died this year already.
On August 6, Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Mathipa was shot dead while driving on the N1 near the Hammanskraal toll plaza.
The Gauteng Hawks’ serious organised crime investigator was on duty at the time.
Police said: “The colonel sustained gunshot wounds to the head and lost control of the vehicle, which rolled and landed in the ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
A case of murder for investigation by his colleagues was opened at Hammanskraal police station.
On June 8, a member of the Hawks technical operation management was killed in a shoot-out with suspects during a Mamelodi operation. The three suspects were also killed.
According to Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo, police were shot at as they approached a shack in the Lusaka informal settlement to investigate a tip-off that high-calibre rifles had been hidden there. Several firearms were later seized.
In June, a 55-year-old off-duty police officer was shot dead at his Hammanskraal home. Lieutenant-Colonel Lekone Morris Mohajane, a detective branch commander at Mooinooi police station, was killed during a suspected hijacking.
Mohajane was a seasoned police officer with 33 years of loyal service. At the time Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said a search for the killer was on.
In April, two police officers were killed in separate incidents for their service pistols.
One, stationed at Hillbrow police station, was shot in the back in his room in Soshanguve ext. 8 on Saturday, April 22.
The constable had only returned from participating in a soccer game at Kgosi Mampuru prison.
The attackers took his police service pistol and cellphone before fleeing.
The constable’s parents tried to save his life and rushed him to George Mukhari Hospital, where he died.
In the other attack, an on-duty police captain was shot in Montana on Sefako Makgatho Drive near the N1 south highway.
He was with his work partner when they were accosted by two criminals, who later fled the scene with his service pistol.
A manhunt for those suspects is also ongoing.
Pretoria couple found dead in tent at festival in Clarens
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
