Police acted swiftly to round up suspects linked to the killing of two officers at Ziphunzana Location in Libode near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Friday.
Just hours after the Acting National Police Commissioner General Puleng Dimpane directed that maximum resources be allocated to track and arrest those responsible for murdering the two officers who were shot and killed while responding to an armed robbery at a spaza shop at Ziphunzana Location in Libode near Mthatha, officers rounded up suspects in three different locations were some of them died in shootouts with police while two were arrested.
The Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, made the order after the bodies of the has ordered that maximum police resources be deployed to find and arrest the two officers aged 51 and 30, who were attached to the Mthatha National Intervention Unit and Mthatha Public Order Policing Unit respectively were found with gunshot wounds and their service pistols taken after they had responded to a reported spaza shop robbery in the area.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said in a statement Dimpane deemed the killing of the two officers as a direct attack on the authority of the state.
“The killing of two police officers who were responding to a call for assistance is an attack on the men and women who place themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities and an attack on the authority of the State,” Dimpane was quoted as saying.
The deceased deceased are Warrant Officer Thando Magoxo, aged 51, from the Mthatha National Intervention Unit, and Constable Ntlahla Tyhali, aged 30, from Mthatha Public Order Policing.
“Following intelligence received, an intelligence-driven operation was conducted by Mthatha Crime Intelligence in conjunction with Mthatha K9 at Ngolo Location, Sibangweni. Two suspects, a 29-year-old female and a 29-year-old male, were arrested after being found in possession of an AK47 rifle and assorted ammunition. They face charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Later that night, at about 23:55, NIU members followed information that one of the suspects was along the N2 at Sibangweni Location, Libode, towards Tsolo. On arrival, the suspect allegedly opened fire on police. Police returned fire, and the suspect, a 35-year-old male, was fatally wounded. A pistol with three rounds of ammunition was recovered.
Further follow-up operations led to two other male suspects, also linked to the murder of the police officers, being fatally wounded at Ngolo village, Libode. Two handguns were recovered from them. This brings the total number of suspects fatally wounded to three,” said Mathe.
In total, said Mathe, one AK47 rifle and three handguns have been recovered in connection with the case while charges including attack on police, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms as well as ammunition, and an inquest docket are being investigated. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate attended the scenes as suspects died from police fire.
Meanwhile four suspects remain in custody after being arrested in last month’s shooting incident in Reigepark, Ekurhuleni in which two police officers were also killed.