Durban - A Msinga policeman has been arrested after he allegedly shot dead his ex-girlfriend on finding her on a date with another man KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday.
He also allegedly shot her new boyfriend, injuring him, and then tried to kill himself in Sunday’s incident.
He then stole a police van, drove 60km to New Hanover police station where he overpowered a policeman, stole his gun and fired shots at his colleagues.
He then ran into a sugar cane field and, according to provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Jay Naicker, was still missing.
The 30-year-old police officer allegedly stalked 20-year-old Zandile Mahlaba, and her new partner, identified only as “Prince”, believed to be a police officer from Mphopomeni, near Howick, and waited outside Prince’s house in Mphopomeni for almost two hours before the fatal shooting.
According to police sources, the shooter was enraged that Mahlaba had started dating Prince after ending her relationship with him.
It is alleged that the shooter picked up Mahlaba’s brother from Greytown, on the pretext of driving to Mphopomeni to pick up Mahlaba from her date.
“Upon arriving at Prince’s home, they were told that the couple were out, and they then waited for two hours in the car outside Prince’s house, for the couple to return,” the sources said.
When the couple eventually came back to Prince’s home, they were confronted by the shooter, who at first “appeared calm”.
Things quickly turned aggressive, and to Mahlaba’s brother’s horror, he witnessed the shooter allegedly draw his SAPS-issued pistol and shoot his sister in the head at point-blank range.
Mahlaba died at the scene.
Prince tried to flee, but was shot in the back. He is in a stable condition in a Pietermaritzburg hospital.
The police officer allegedly then turned the gun on himself and shot himself under his chin. His attempt to end his life failed when the bullet exited his cheek.
Mahlaba’s brother managed to gain possession of the gun after the officer shot himself.
When police arrived, they allegedly did not realise that their colleague was the man responsible for the bloody scene they were attending to and assisted him into a police vehicle. The officer drove off in the vehicle, heading to New Hanover police station where the second part of the drama unfolded.
Naicker said the police officer was later arrested and would appear in court on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Daily News