A police sergeant, aged 41, has sadly lost his life after being shot in the upper body near the Cooke 1 Plant mining shaft in Randfontein at about 4pm on Thursday, 23 November.
Randfontein Police are investigating a case of murder and are currently questioning six illegal miners.
Read more: Off-duty cop found shot dead inside vehicle
According to Captain Appel Ernst, Randfontein police spokesperson, the policeman died at the scene after he was shot in the upper body. The deceased, who was a member of the Johannesburg Mounted Unit, was on duty patrolling around the mining area.
Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, Gauteng Police spokesperson, confirmed that police officers from the Mounted Unit were doing routine patrols in the mining area to prevent illegal mining. They spotted two persons suspected of being involved in an illegal mining operation.
“As one of the suspects was being arrested, he pulled out a firearm and shot the policeman in the upper body, then fled from the scene into the nearby bush,” said Dlamini.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene confirmed the death of the police officer. In a follow-up investigation, police arrested six suspects who are being questioned about the murder of the policeman.
Lieutenant General Deliwe de Lange, the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, has condemned the attack on and killing of the police officer.
“The life of a policeman who selflessly served the communities of Gauteng has been taken away. A team of detectives will work around the clock to make sure that justice prevails over the killers”, said de Lange.
Ernst added that the situation in the mining areas surrounding Randfontein has become a serious concern for the Randfontein Police, saying that five allegedly illegal miners were killed during the past two weeks.
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