Durban - Friends of a South Coast police constable who was killed by her policeman boyfriend, who then committed suicide, are baffled by the tragedy.
This is the third incident in the past two months in which a local police officer has killed his girlfriend and then committed suicide.
Lindiwe Xulu, 31, was shot by Constable Howard Ngcobo, 34, at her home in Mahwaqa Location, near Umzumbe, on Friday evening. Ngcobo shot himself at his home nearby.
They were stationed at the Dududu police station and were off duty.
In her last Facebook post, on Thursday, Xulu commented: “I will cross the ocean for you.”
On Sunday her friend Mantombi Shange commented on Facebook that the phenomenon of police officers killing their partners who were also officers was on the rise.
“I am so heartbroken, still cannot believe it… Dear God what has gone wrong in the world.”
Another friend, Thulisile Mdima, questioned whether the “pressure” of their jobs led to police officers’ emotional problems.
“Rest in peace. It is always sad when someone dies at the hands of another.”
KwaZulu-Natal’s Community Safety Department said a “manhunt” was launched for Ngcobo and he was later found dead at his home.
Community Safety MEC Willies Mchunu said it was “painful” when officers turned against each other. He sent condolences to both bereaved families.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said murder and inquest cases were being investigated by the Dududu police.
DA police spokeswoman Dianne Kohler Barnard said murder-suicides committed by police officers were becoming “commonplace”.
“Police officers need to go for psychological debriefings after traumatic incidents, but police see this as a weakness and these sessions rarely occur. Some officers believe the only way out of a difficult situation is to use their firearms.”
Earlier this month, Constable Zain Sheik, who was stationed at the KwaMashu police station, shot and killed his former girlfriend Sheree Branches at the Pavilion shopping centre before killing himself.
In September, Wentworth Detective Constable Lungiswa Mashalaba, 32, was killed by her fiancé, Harbour Police Lieutenant-Colonel Sipho Zuma, 48, on the Bluff.
Zuma shot himself.
It was believed Mashalaba wanted to end the relationship.
Meanwhile, the funeral for Pinetown police Warrant Officer Norman John is expected to be held on Monday.
John was overpowered by a suspect who shot him with his service pistol when he tried to intervene during a fight in the station’s holding cells. The suspect, Siyabonga Mndunge, was killed during a gunfight with officers.
Two officers who were shot are still in hospital.
The Mercury