Men kill sheriff in apparent hit in Secunda
According to the police, the driver heard gunshots from inside the office but was at first too afraid to go outside.
The police are investigating the murder of the local sheriff of the court, Andrew Shabalala (63).
Shabalala was shot dead in the passenger seat of his silver BMW parked on the pavement in front of his offices on 25 Pringle Street at about 10:45 on April 2.
Shabalala, from Mamelodi Pretoria, was in Secunda for an auction at Lake Umuzi. According to the SAPS, the auction time had changed to noon, so Shabalala and his driver decided to go to the sheriff’s office on Pringle Street.
The police said that when he and the driver arrived at the office, Shabalala stayed in the car because he was on a phone call but had the door open. The driver went inside the premises.
According to the police, the driver heard gunshots from inside the office but was at first too afraid to go outside.
“When the driver did go outside, he found the shot Shabalala in the passenger seat of the car. Medical personnel were summoned to the scene, but unfortunately, he was declared dead,” said the police.
It is alleged that two gunmen approached the BMW on foot and fired more than a dozen shots. The police said they found about 17 cartridges on the scene.
The two criminals fled in a maroon SUV without a registration plate.
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The Ridge Times previously reported that neighbours became concerned when a suspicious maroon vehicle with no number plates drove up and down Pringle Street at around 10:00.
Not long after posting these concerns on a neighbourhood group, neighbours were alarmed by the sound of gunfire.
The police said the criminals did not take anything from the deceased’s vehicle and that it looked like a hit. A murder case is open, and the investigation continues. The suspects are still at large.
Police urge the public with information that might help to arrest those responsible to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or send information via the MYSAPS App. The SAPS will treat all information received as confidential, and the caller may remain anonymous.
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