Nelspruit - A Mpumalanga police constable was killed in a shoot-out with armed robbers in his home in Kabokweni, provincial police said on Thursday.
One of the robbers was also killed during the incident which took place on Wednesday at around 8pm.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said 31-year-old White River police constable, Sithembiso Innocent Manzini, together with his wife and two children were sitting outside their house in Kabokweni when they were approached by two armed men.
“It is alleged that the duo instructed the family at gunpoint to get inside the house where one of the suspects demanded the constable’s State-issued firearm,” Mohlala said. “He told the suspects that the firearm was in a safe in the bedroom. They followed him to the bedroom where the constable managed to grab his firearm and a shoot-out ensued which left the constable and one of the suspects on the floor of the bedroom.
“The other suspect dragged his accomplice out of the house and left him there before he fled the scene with three firearms including the constable’ service pistol. Both the constable and the suspect were declared dead on the scene. The dead suspect has since been identified as Xolani Gumede from Pienaar. The other family members were not injured. The police are investigating a case of murder and a manhunt for the other suspect has been launched.
The police’s Lieutenant General Mark Magadlela said he was saddened by the “loss of yet another police official at the prime of his career, who had to die protecting his family”.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that this member died because these criminals wanted to rob him of his service pistol,” he said. “We would like to send our deepest condolences to Manzini’s family, relatives and friends. To his colleagues, Manzini died fighting crime and protecting his family and we owe it to him to continue fighting crime without fear.”
ANA