Burgersfort – A small shack in the remote village of Mogashoa near Schoonord in Limpopo was the scene of a deadly shoot-out in the early hours of Tuesday morning in which a police constable was shot and killed.
Several rounds were fired shortly after nine Crime Investigations officers from the Sekhukhune Detectives Unit had descended on the dwelling where a robbery suspect was hiding.
According to police, officials arrived at the property at around 1am and cornered the suspect, who was sleeping, and ordered him to surrender.
The suspect allegedly responded by opening fire, fatally wounding Constable Pule Edward Kekana in the throat. Kekana died on the way to the hospital.
A second officer was shot and wounded in the leg. Police spokesman Malesela Ledwaba said: “The other member was missed on the leg by the same suspect and members fired back and injured the suspect on the chest.”
Ledwaba said the suspect was arrested and taken to hospital under police guard.
At the scene, bullet holes could be seen on the shack while one of the windows had also been shattered during the gun battle.
The suspect had been sought in connection with the robbery of a bread delivery vehicle during which an undisclosed amount of money was taken.
Acting provincial commissioner Nonhlanhla Zulu condemned the incident and said that police would not “leave any stone unturned in combatting and investigating [criminals]”.
She expressed her condolences to the family of Kekana.
African News Agency
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