Mpumalanga SAPS are investigating a case of murder and suicide after a veteran police captain, Mandla Maseko (53) from Bethal, allegedly shot and killed a female friend (39) before turning the gun on himself in Grootvlei on March 21.
According to reports, Captain Maseko went to the house of the woman in Grootvlei, who was with her sister.
When they refused to open for him, he broke a window and entered the house.
He allegedly chased the sister out of the house and was then left alone with the woman.
The sister went to seek help, and the police were alerted.
When police arrived, they found both the captain and his friend on the floor, with gunshot wounds.
Both were declared dead on the scene.
Captain Maseko’s service pistol was found on the scene.
Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, the acting provincial commissioner of the Mpumalanga SAPS, said he is saddened by this unfortunate incident and sends his heartfelt condolences to the families of both the deceased.
The general calls on the police officers to make use of Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) services whenever they undergo work or family-related challenges.
Maseko received the Provincial Commissioner Excellence Award, Mpumalanga, for 2024 for the Station Commander and Station of the Year Award.
He was appointed as the interim acting station commander of Bethal in November 2023 in the absence of the station commander and managed the police station until the appointment of Station Commander Lieutenant Colonel Tsekiso Tseole in September 2024.
In 2024, Maseko received the Mpumalanga commissioner’s excellence awards for Station of the Year and Station Commander of Year on behalf of the station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tsekiso Tseole.
Maseko was appointed interim acting station commander of Bethal in November 2023 in the absence of the station commander and managed the police station until the appointment of Tseole in September
*The article was ammended since it was first published to clarify a part related to the Mpumalanga commissioner’s excellence awards. The police also refer to the deceased as a female friend, and not a girlfriend.
