The mood within Brighton Beach police station remains sombre, as colleagues and friends of the late Constable Thomas Qhamuka Kwela come to grips with his murder.
Cst Kwela was shot dead while on duty on the evening of Tuesday,14 February during a business robbery which occurred at a fuel station in Edwin Swales Drive.
Read here: Bluff policeman killed by armed garage robbers
He died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head, with his colleague Sgt Tebogo Lesolle by his side.
Cst Kwela was described by colleagues as a quiet and humble man, a well-disciplined police officer who was proud to wear the blue uniform and to be a guardian for residents of the policing precinct.
He was laid to rest on Sunday, 19 February at his place of birth, Taffel Kop in Marianhill. He was the youngest of five children.
During a memorial service held for him on Thursday, 23 February, Cst Kwela’s older brother described him as a pillar of strength for the family, and a brave man who was always respectful towards his peers. He had matriculated at Dick Ndlovu High School in Zwelibomvu , and thereafter joined the SANDF before being recruited into the SAPS on 2 February 2010.
One of the suspects aged 30 has been arrested and appeared in court. The arrests of the outstanding suspects are imminent.
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