SAPS offer R300 000 reward after 3 police officers killed since Friday
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola has offered two rewards, of R150 000 each, for information on either case.
18-year veteran officer killed responding to call
In the most recent incident, Sergeant Lawrence Dumisani Mtshweni (47) and his colleagues were responding to a burglary in progress near when they were ambushed by about 10 armed suspects.
During the attack, Mtshweni was shot in the upper body and rushed to hospital, but he later succumbed to his injuries.
Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli confirmed the sergeant's death. He served in the Visible Policing Unit at Schoemansdal police station and had 18 years of service.
Following the shooting, Acting Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi deployed all available resources to locate the suspects.
'An integrated team of intelligence operatives, Hawks, the provincial tracking team, and private sector units are working around the clock to apprehend the suspects,' said Mdhluli.
The police are urging community members not to protect criminals but to provide information that could lead to their arrest.
'Attacking police officers is an attack on the state,' Mdhluli added.
Stolen firearm recovered in separate Bushbuckridge incident
In a separate incident, on July 28, a police officer based at Nelspruit police station but residing in Bushbuckridge was robbed of his service pistol.
The officer was walking towards his vehicle in the Bushbuckridge CBD around 19:00, after using public transport, when two men approached him from behind, overpowered him, and fled with the firearm loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.
Police opened a case and, following a tip-off, arrested three suspects, two men and a woman, on Thursday (August 7).
The woman was found in possession of the stolen firearm at her residence. The gun and three rounds of ammunition were recovered.
Three suspects appear in court
The suspects – Fumani Avoid Mashego (19), Surprise Khoza (25), and Promise Thandi Mashego (23) – appeared briefly in the Mapulaneng Magistrate's Court on Friday (August 8).
They face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and ammunition.
All three have been remanded in custody ahead of a formal bail application scheduled for August 15.
Three police officers killed since Friday
The Mpumalanga policeman's murder follows the death of two police officers in Roodepoort on Friday while transporting a man back to prison after a court appearance.
A manhunt has been launched for Zimbabwean national Jabulani Moyo, who appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court on a charge of business robbery.
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Next Stay Close ✕ Both properties were acquired in September last year and were allegedly approved by Khumalo, who was arrested for fraud and corruption related to the purchase of a boutique hotel in Pretoria North and a commercial building in Durban. The properties were valued at R22.7 million and R22.8m, respectively. Sources said that President Cyril Ramaphosa was briefed and has given the go ahead for the arrest. Crime expert and violence monitor, Mary de Haas, said the arrest, if it happened, would mean more officials could be suspended and arrested. De Haas said this could even expose why Khumalo and his co-accused have not been suspended. 'There are many interesting things to watch out for here. Khumalo and Major-General Philani Lushaba (the chief financial officer), have not been suspended. It will be interesting to see what happens to them,' she said. 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'If one were to stretch one's imagination, the rot permeates the entire institution of the SAPS and other institutions within the criminal justice system, and I dare say the broader state institutions. "Factionalism and political interference are real within the SAPS as is the case with the ruling party. It is an open secret that the powers that be in the SAPS are friends with gangsters. South Africa is a crime scene and even the commander in chief has a cloud hanging over his head with regard to the Phala Phala saga,' Ndlovu said. Another political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe, said the speculation should be viewed within the context of Mkhwanazi's claims, implicating the entire criminal justice system in the act of possible corruption. 'Should the speculation regarding the imminent arrest of the National Commissioner prove to be true, they will send an unequivocal message that no one is above the law. 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