Alleged cop-killer apprehended in Mpumalanga

A 31-year-old suspect has been arrested for murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.


The suspect charged with murder, armed robbery, and possession of an unlicensed firearm was found at his hiding place at Mhluzi in Middelburg in the early hours of Saturday morning, reports Middelburg Observer.

He is expected to appear in the Calcutta Magistrate Court on Monday.

The arrest follows the double murder of 40-year-old Sergeant Thembisile Ndlovu and her husband Jabulani Khoza, 44, on December 1 last year in Bushbuckridge.

ALSO READ: Witbank policeman fatally shoots wife, himself

The couple were awoken by a disruption inside the house and upon inspection, three suspects began firing at them. The late Detective Sergeant Ndlovu from Calcutta SAPS retaliated and fatally wounded one suspect.

However, the other two armed suspects continued firing and sadly both Ndlovu and Khoza succumbed to injuries from the shooting. The suspects fled the scene with the family’s vehicle, which was later found abandoned within the Bushbuckridge area.

Members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit immediately took over the investigation and explored numerous linkages, which led to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the firearm over the weekend.

The search for the third suspect is ongoing.

The national head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has commended the investigating team for the apprehension of the alleged perpetrator and is confident the third suspect will be arrested soon.

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