Three off-duty police officers attacked in separate incidents — one killed

Three off-duty officers were attacked in separate incidents around the country at the weekend, with one shot dead.

On Saturday, a police officer in Pretoria was robbed of his service pistol and money when he responded to an online car-sale advert.

The officer, who was off-duty at the time, contacted the seller on social media, where he was sent the location to view the car. But upon arriving at the site in Winterveld, north of Pretoria, the officer and his girlfriend were confronted by five armed men.

They were robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash, said police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo. “The victims were not injured,” he said.

“Police are warning the public to be careful of such incidents as there are several cases of the same modus operandi that have been reported in Winterveld.”

Masondo appealed to anyone with information that could help in the investigation or apprehension of the suspects to call their nearest police station.

On Sunday morning, a female sergeant, 43, was attacked as she left her police living quarters to report for duty in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), in the Eastern Cape.

It is alleged that just before 6am, her ex-boyfriend ambushed her on the stairs and bludgeoned her head and hands with a hammer.

As she tried to escape to her room, the ex-boyfriend managed to pull out her firearm and shot at her. He then fled with the weapon, said spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu.

“The injured sergeant was admitted to hospital with serious injuries sustained from the assault. It was later established that she did not sustain any gunshot wounds,” she said. But the ex-boyfriend was found dead on Orgley Street in Makhanda after allegedly shooting and killing himself.

An inquest has been opened, including a case of attempted murder, attack on police and theft of a firearm, Naidu said.

Another off-duty officer was shot dead when he visited a bottle store in Port St Johns, also in the Eastern Cape, on Friday.

The incident happened at about 2.15pm when Sgt Vuyolethu Madala, 39, visited a liquor outlet. As he left the establishment, two men followed him outside, said Naidu. Several shots were fired at Madala from behind before the suspects jumped into a white bakkie with no registration plates and fled.

“Madala was rushed to a nearby clinic where he passed away on arrival. Police are investigating a case of murder and the motive is not yet known,” Naidu said.

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