Police search for Hawks officer’s killer

He was on his way to work in the city when he was killed on the R37 Lydenburg Road in an apparent assassination.

The national commissioner of the SAPS, Gen Khehla John Sitole, issued a statement in which he condemned the senseless killing. He called on a multidisciplinary team to mobilise the 72-hour activation plan and urged the team, “not to rest until Col Bruwer’s killers are brought to book”.

“The SAPS family and the community have suffered a huge loss,” said Sitole.

The South African Policing Union (Sapu) issued a scathing criticism of the police’s reaction to what they call “the killing in cold blood of Lt Col Leroy Bruwer in what looks like an assassination”.

“This adds to the growing number of the killing of the men and women in blue,” said Oscar Skommere, national spokesperson for the union.

“Sapu is calling upon the SAPS management to swallow its pride and reinstate the highly successful Murder and Robbery Unit that was controversially disbanded with other highly successful specialised police units between 2006 and 2008. The killing of a senior officer such as Lt Col Bruwer is a declaration of war against the state itself.”

Skommere said the so-called 72-hour action plan is nothing more than a public relations exercise.

“How many crimes have been solved through that 72-hour action plan? These are ineffective strategies that do not yield the desired results. It is time to go back to the basics and use effective measures that are proven,” Skommere said.

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The well-known Bossies Community Justice (BCJ) condemned the murder.

“I have known Leroy for some time, but only worked two or three cases with him,” said Albert Gryvenstein of BCJ. “And every time it was clear that he had true passion for his job and he was very good at it. His death is not only a loss to his family, friends and colleagues. It is an incredible loss to all of us, because he was an excellent policeman.”

Adv Isabet Erwee worked closely with Bruwer during her time as state advocate with the National Prosecuting Authority, where she specialised in organised crime.

“Col Bruwer’s investigations were of exceptional quality. He was incredibly thorough in his collection of evidence and went into great detail in his investigations.

“We worked together on the Wade Williams case in 2015 and secured a sentence of 30 years. That was due solely to how he investigated the case. The accused’s application for leave to appeal was dismissed because of Col Bruwer’s thorough investigation.”

She said Bruwer was really enthusiastic about his work and his cases were successful, because of his dedication.

The general public does not realise exactly how dangerous it is to investigate and prosecute organised crime. We have been threatened many times, and these threats are real. But with Col Bruwer by my side, I felt safe. Col Bruwer protected me. But there was no one to protect him.”I have no doubt that Lt Col Bruwer’s death is related to cases he is working. The timing and the violence of his death are no coincidence. People like him are irreplaceable.”

Ansie Venter, specialist state advocate for organised crime, also worked closely with Bruwer for approximately nine years.

“The one thing I will always remember about him is that he was always willing to help, day or night. And, of course, his love of nature is something we shared.”

She has no doubt that his death was related to the work he did. “There can be no other logical explanation. It was very clearly a planned assassination.”

She has been in contact with Bruwer’s fiancée and said she can only imagine how heartbroken she is.

“But she said something beautiful to me. She said she would very much like to keep in touch with us, because a piece of him remains in each one of us.

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“We must continue with cases, his investigations. If not, everything he did was in vain.” Venter concluded by adding that she has complete trust in Bruwer’s colleagues to solve his murder.

Helene Eloff, legal adviser of the Caxton group, used to work as a journalist at Lowvelder and often dealt with Bruwer.

“Lt Col Leroy Bruwer was the embodiment of a reliable information source both in and out of court,” she said.

“When testifying in different criminal cases, he would retrace each step of his methodical investigations. No detail escaped him.”

She said he was a humble man who had no tolerance for injustice and devoted his life to the fight against crime.
“We have lost a pillar of Mpumalanga’s police. He was – and is – irreplaceable.”

The police have appealed to anyone who may have information on the case to contact the SAPS on 086-00-10111, or to use the SAPS MySAPSApp.

Information will be treated with the strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous.

Bruwer’s funeral will be held next week.

Please note the article has been updated

Original article

A member of Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lt Col Leroy Bruwer (49), was shot dead in an apparent ambush on the R37 Lydenburg road, while he was on the way to work.

Unconfirmed reports have it that he was shot with a heavy-calibre assault rifle. The SAPS forensic services spent most of the morning analysing the scene of the shooting. The road was closed and motorists had to take alternative routes.

Bruwer was a seasoned and respected investigator, playing a pivotal role in a number of rhino-poaching cases, among others. Lowvelder has reported on him before in a number of articles.

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Khehla John Sitole, has condemned the killing in the strongest possible terms. He has called on a multidisciplinary team to mobilise the 72-hour Activation Plan and urged the team not to rest until Colonel Brewer’s killers are brought to book.

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“The SAPS family and the community have suffered a huge loss,” General Sitole said. “I have extended my deepest condolences to Colonel Bruwer’s family and promised a thorough investigation.

“We are appealing to anyone who may have information on this case to please contact the SAPS on 086 00 10111 or information may be communicated via the SAPS MySAPSApp. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous.”

Please note this article has been updated.

Original Report:

The crime scene, on the R37 to Lydenburg, has been cordoned off and SAPS forensic services are conducting a thorough investigation of the scene.

The road has been closed indefinitely and motorists are advised to take an alternative route. Traffic is being turned around on the R37 just after the N4 off-ramp.

The victim’s name has not been released yet, but an official statement from the police is expected shortly.

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