Pretoria - The killing of the head of support services at Loate police station near Mabopane, Lieutenant-Colonel Reinier Logois, was the second tragedy to hit the family in less than a month.
Logois, 43, was gunned down at his Rietfontein home on Monday evening just weeks after the death of his brother’s wife, who died mysteriously on Boxing Day.
His brother Hennie Logois said: “My wife passed away three weeks ago, so this is a double tragedy for us. My wife wasn’t sick; we spent Christmas together and she died on December 26.”
He refused to go into details about his brother’s shooting, saying he did not want to interfere with the police investigations.
Hennie, who was a police officer but retired in 2007, said he and his brother spent quite a lot of time together since his wife died.
He said his brother was a sociable individual who enjoyed the company of others.
“We were practically inseparable,” he said. “He liked to be around family, but was very quiet.
“He was approachable. One day we met this woman who had marks on her arms and face. My brother immediately asked her who had done this to her. She said her boyfriend.”
Logois then called the woman’s father and a social worker, despite not being on duty.
“He was compassionate and cared about people and didn’t want to see them being bullied. He was very passionate about people,” Hennie said.
Police have remained mum about details surrounding the shooting, saying they were still investigating and were wary of releasing information at this stage.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the matter was being investigated.
“At the moment, there are no specific details about the incident. The information we have cannot be divulged to the public as it might compromise the case.”
Mulaudzi said 14 used cartridges were found at the scene. The officer’s 1993 Toyota Corolla was missing and it was suspected the killers used it to get away.
On Tuesday police spent the day combing the scene in search of clues that could lead to arrests.
Mulaudzi said police could not say how many perpetrators might be involved.
Colonel Edwin Lekala, station commander at Loate, said officers who worked with Logois were traumatised and were receiving counselling.
Pretoria News