A KaBokweni police officer was found dead from five gunshot wounds in his Pienaar home on Wednesday morning, August 3.
A 29-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the killing of the officer, Mandlenkosi Happy Thwala (45), and is expected to appear in court tomorrow, Friday August 5.
A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said in a statement that the Pienaar police were called to a house in Gedlembane, where a neighbour told them that Thwala’s mother had called her in distress, fearing that her son had been murdered.
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“Upon the police’s arrival, they found him motionless in bed with visible gunshot wounds on his body,” said Mohlala.
“He was shot five times, allegedly with his service pistol.”
It was reported that Thwala had been shot twice in the head and three times in his upper body.
“Medical services were summoned to the scene and he was certified dead. There were also two cartridges found on the floor, and his vehicle, a green VW Polo Classic (DSV112MP), as well as his service firearm and cellphone were missing,” Mohlala said.
The cellphone was later discovered abandoned in some bushes near the house.
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A murder case with an additional charge of robbery was opened for investigation.
Mohlala said the Pienaar police were conducting a roadblock in Newscom later that day (August 3) when they were approached by a passer-by who said he had seen a firearm lying on the roadside nearby.
“It was later discovered that the firearm was the one that belonged to Thwala,” said Mohlala.
Upon hearing the news of Thwala’s death, the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, activated a multidisciplinary approach to find the person or people responsible.
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A 29-year-old woman was arrested within 24 hours of Thwala’s murder. She was found hiding at her boyfriend’s house in Dayizenza.
Manamela has vowed that the police, in partnership with the community, “will work together to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are soon brought to book. We would like to send our sincerest condolences to the family of our member. We are very much concerned about the killing of members, especially in the KaBokweni area in recent months.
“The ones who committed this barbaric act should be put where they belong before they take another life. We shall not rest until we achieve this,” she said.
