A blade wielding homeless man stabbed an officer on duty in Wattle Street but unfortunately came second.
On Friday afternoon, February 15 the homeless man that is known to the residents in that area as a “garbage digger” allegedly threatened a resident with a sharp object.
The homeless man became a threat to the community as he went around with the broken pair of scissors.
Witbank SAPS was called to the scene by the SACCW (South African Community Crime Watch) after a community member contacted them.
With the police’s arrival the man went straight to the police official and tried to stab him in the neck.
The constable tried to defend himself and stepped back. Suddenly he lost control and tripped over a rock as the man proceeded to come towards the constable and stabbed him in the foot.
He did not stop there and tried to stab the police official again and was shot in the leg on scene after the police official first fired a warning shot into the ground.
Legacy dispatched the scene and both the officer and the suspect were transported to local hospitals in a stable condition.
It has been confirmed that the suspect suffered a bone fracture and in addition was sent for psychiatric evaluation.
Mr Kingdom Mabuza, spokesperson of eMalahleni municipality concluded that “any crime incident should be reported to police.
We cannot dictate to residents to either stop or allow people who collect waste for recycling.
very individual household must assess the situation and if they feel threatened they must alert police.
