Two men were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a Boschkop police officer who was gunned down in May.
On May 24, Constable Atlehang Nkgoeng and his partner Constable Percy Saimane were patrolling the area for spike traps when they spotted a white VW Polo without registration plates.
Upon stopping the vehicle, the pair were met with resistance from the two occupants, leading to a fight. One of the police officer’s service pistols fell on the ground and a suspect picked it up and shot at the officers, killing Nkgoeng and injuring Saimane.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said a team of various law enforcement followed up on intelligence received on a wanted person driving towards North West.
“The suspects’ vehicle was intercepted on the N4 highway. Upon searching it, the police recovered an unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” she said.
“The suspect was immediately arrested and the vehicle was seized. “Further investigation led the police to Tlhabane in North West province where another suspect was apprehended in possession of unlicensed pistols, a rifle with ammunition as well as explosives.”
Mogale said one of the pistols seized during the operation was positively identified and linked to Nkgoeng’s murder.
On the day of the incident, the two men allegedly took off with the two police officers’ pistols in a vehicle reportedly hijacked at Vosman in Witbank, Mpumalanga.
The pair were expected to appear in the Rustenburg and Pretoria magistrate’s courts on Friday, facing charges of murder, possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Gauteng Hawks provincial head Major General Ebrahim Kadwa applauded the investigation team’s efforts in successfully apprehending the pair and bringing them to book. “A murder of one police officer is one too many for the SAPS,” he said.
“We are proud that our late colleague’s family will find closure in court for his alleged murder.”
The team involved in the arrest included the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit, the Flying Squad, the K9, TRT assisted by CAP Security as well as Brinant and Fidelity Specialised Services.
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