Six in dock after cop killing

Six suspects will appear before the Sekhukhune Magistrate’s Court again on 4 February in connection with the alleged killing of Police officer Joel Seloga (57) at a funeral on Saturday.
Thomas Nunu Makanyane, Simon Monakedi, Petrus Dithame Makanyane, Maphot Aron Makanyane, Alfred Makanyane and Emily Maphtuke Mamaile are still in custody after appearing to face charges of murder on Monday.
“Eleven suspects were initially arrested but only six were positively linked to the death of Seloga,” Provincial Police Spokesperson Ronel Otto said.
She added that Transport, Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana as well as Provincial Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola visited the family of the deceased on Monday.
Seloga was stationed at the Hlogotlou Police Station and part of team from North West tracing and locating a suspect wanted for crimes committed in Brits. “The wanted suspect was traced to Madibong village, Jane Furse where he was attending the funeral of a villager shot and killed the previous week. When the wanted suspect was spotted, Seloga apprehended him and called for help. People attending the funeral allegedly thought Seloga was a criminal and rushed to the wanted suspect’s rescue,” Otto said.
Otto added that community members might have mistaken the Police members in plain clothes for persons involved in the killing of the man whose funeral they were attending.
“The Police members at some stage retreated but community members chased after them cornering Seloga. His service pistol was taken from him and he was shot in the head. He died on the scene,” Otto said.
A provincial tracing operation involving the Crime Intelligence Unit, detectives, Crime Prevention Unit and Tactical Response Team (TRT) resulted in the arrest of 11 suspects and the discovery of Seloga’s service pistol and twelve rounds of ammunition that were recovered from a hole in the ground where it had been buried close to the scene.
Masemola in a press release expressed his deepest sympathy with Seloga’s family. He also expressed his disappointment and anger in the community members taking the law into their own hands.

Story: RC Myburgh
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Photo: Police officer Joel Seloga’s corpse lies covered on the scene where he was shot and killed with his service pistol last Saturday.