Rustenburg woman shot dead, allegedly by cop boyfriend before taking his own life

A 27-year-old woman and a policeman were found dead in Rustenburg in an apparent murder suicide, North West police said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said police were called to a shooting incident in Boitekong on Sunday and were shown a door which had been kicked down.

They went inside and, to their horror, found Khanyisile Ntanga with a gunshot wound to her head, and next to her was her boyfriend, 37-year-old Rustenburg police Constable Sello Tshukudu.

“He had a bullet wound to the head and was lying in a pool of blood,” said Tselenyane.

Police have opened a murder investigation.

Rustenburg Mayor Mpho Khunou expressed shock and said that it had not been the only death of a woman, allegedly at the hands of her partner, in the North West city that weekend.

Khunou said that Basetsana Kgarole was stabbed in the neck in front of children at her family home, allegedly by her boyfriend on Saturday.

She was taken to Boitekong Clinic for emergency treatment, but died while being transferred to Shimankane Tabane Hospital.

One person has been arrested in connection with her stabbing.

Khunou noted that the women’s deaths come at a time of heightened concern over gender-based violence and urged women in abusive relationships to get out.

In September, massive marches around the country saw scores of South Africans demand action to protect women from violence after numerous murders shocked the nation.

Those who were killed include University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetana and Jesse Hess, a student at University of Western Cape.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised a raft of emergency measures to prevent further murders, to be implemented in the next six months.

They include:

– A mass media campaign that will target communities, public spaces, workplaces, campuses, schools and recreational spaces like taverns. The focus will be on men’s groups and formations, youth at risk and offenders inside prisons;

– Women’s rights and gender power relations will be part of the subject Life Orientation in the school curriculum;

– Gender sensitivity training for law enforcement officials, prosecutors, magistrates and policymakers. Those who are found in breach of their responsibilities in this regard will be held to account;

– Train and deploy prevention activists to all of 278 municipalities. They will engage in household visits and community interventions focused on changing harmful social norms.

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