EXCLUSIVE: Surviving cop from N3 shootout speaks out
SANDRINGHAM - TWO police constables, aged 29 and 36 years old, were shot and killed, while another was left severely injured, when they stopped a suspicious-looking vehicle on the N3 highway on 29 March.
One officer died on the scene after being shot in the head and the other died later in hospital.
The officer who survived, Constable Mafanele, was airlifted to hospital along with another fellow colleague who tragically succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Constable Mafanele is currently recovering in hospital in Johannesburg after sustaining four gunshot wounds. It is believed that he sustained two gunshot wounds to the abdomen, one in the leg and another in the buttocks.
The drama unfolded when the police officers flagged down a suspicious-looking Mercedes-Benz on the N3. Upon stopping the suspicious vehicle, a third car, a BMW, pulled up behind the police car.
Click here to read more about the dramatic shootout on the N3.
The occupants of the BMW then sprayed the police with bullets believed to be from AK-47s. The driver of the vehicle, in which the police stopped, sustained injuries as a result of the gunshots from the third vehicle behind the police, however it is unclear at this stage if he is connected to the gunmen.
According to Marcia Chidi, a family member of Constable Mafanele, the family of the injured police officer decided that they would like to create awareness as Mafanele is not the only family member of theirs to have been shot before.
In a statement made by Colonel Noxolo Kweza of the South African Police Service, nine police officers have been killed in the province so far in the 2014/2015 financial year. During a press briefing that was held following the shooting on 30 March last year, Major General Teko Pharasi of Saps announced that a reward of R400 000 is being offered to anyone who can lead the police to the suspects involved in the shooting. Constable Mafanele’s aunt Ellen Baloyi said, “The families of the policemen who were shot need to be strong, God will be with them. We need to fight these criminals and show them that we are stronger than them.”
Marcia Chidi said, “I always see small articles about injured policemen. I want to raise awareness and to show the country what is happening to our policemen. We need to protect them as much as they protect us. I am happy there is a reward for those who come forward and assist the police in making an arrest in connection with this shooting and the other shootings of police that have taken place.”
In an exclusive interview with the North Eastern Tribune from his hospital bed,Constable Mafanele, who was barely able to speak, said, “I am feeling much better and looking forward to a speedy recovery.”
Mafanele’s family took the harsh decision to shield him from the sad truth about his fallen partners to protect him from the stress and loss of losing his partners, to prevent it from hampering his recovery.
During the interview, the brave Mafanele, unaware of the fact that his trusted partners are no longer of this world, requested that he and his colleagues be portrayed as heroes.
Saps is offering a reward to anyone who can lead them to the killer of Constable Frans Ledwaba who was shot dead at Park Station on 24 March and for the hijacking and shooting of a police officer in Kempton Park on 30 March.
Crime Line, together with the Widows and Orphans Fund for Members of the South African Police Service, has donated R20 000 to be divided among the four families of police officers slain in the line of duty in Gauteng.
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View the dramatic footage from the scene below:
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