Johannesburg - Yet another police officer has been fingered in a crime as the official is included as a suspect on an attempted armed robbery and attempted murder charge.
Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said that the suspects are aged between 29 and 39 years old and would appear in the Fochville Magistrate's Court today.
She said that the suspect's appearance in court stems from their arrest on Monday at the Driefontein Assay Lab in West Rand.
‘’It is alleged that the complainant had arrived at Driefontein mine's Assay lab when an unknown number of suspects accosted and shot at his vehicle. He then managed to drive off into the shaft area to protect himself,’’ said Mogale.
Mogale said that while other suspects broke down the gate to gain entrance to the building, a gunfight ensued between the suspects and security officers.
‘’During the shootout, the suspects realised that they were surrounded and started to flee the scene in different directions, but four were arrested.
A preliminary investigation revealed that one of the four suspects was a police officer. Explosives, ammunition, and two 9mm pistols with serial numbers filed off were recovered from the scene,’’ said Mogale.
Mogale said an additional two suspects, aged 34 and 39, were arrested last night in Khuma, Stilfontein, in connection with the Sibanye incident.
The pair will appear in the Fochville Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, July 20.
In the Western Cape, SAPS has reacted to an old video clip that has resurfaced and is currently being shared on social media platforms regarding a police officer who acted out of character at the Mitchells Plain bus terminus a very long time ago.
According to a SAPS statement, the officer seen in the video, which was captured about two years ago, suffered a medical condition at the time of the incident and has since received professional assistance from our Employee Health and Wellness component and his private health practitioner.
‘’Upon his return to work, he has been deployed to an administrative position, where he is not exposed to the operational environment. The matter has since been resolved and is regarded as finalised, while the member’s identity remains protected,’’ read the statement.
According to SAPS, it is unfortunate that there are members of the public who choose to use social media platforms to spread old and expired incidents without any knowledge of the real circumstances.
‘’This practice is something that is strongly discouraged by SAPS,’’ added the statement.
The Star