POLOKWANE - A man about 39 years of age was shot dead in a shootout with police on Saturday afternoon after a car chase at Manganeng village, ga-Sekhukhuni in the Burgersfort policing cluster soon after he and his accomplices allegedly robbed a security guard of her firearm at the Manganeng Clinic, Limpopo police said.
A security officer at the clinic was accosted by two men and robbed of her 9mm pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
A third man remained in the car, a grey Toyota Avanza. The trio then moved from the clinic and proceeded to a local tuckshop at Manganeng village and robbed the owners of three cellphones and an amount of cash.
Police were informed, and after officers spotted a vehicle matching the description a car chase ensued.
"The suspects abandoned the car and ran towards the mountain on foot and in the process started shooting towards the police who responded by fatally injuring one of the suspects."
A firearm with the serial number filed off was found in the vicinity. The three cellphones stolen from the tuckshop were also found inside the abandoned vehicle. Investigations were determining the ownership of the car.
"The remaining two suspects have since fled to the mountains. Members of the K9 [unit] have been activated and are also assisting in tracing these suspects," Mojapelo said.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Nneke Ledwaba had established a special task team to investigate all reported crime cases at hospitals and clinics and urged officers "to be relentless when confronting this scourge“.
"I have instructed members of this team to hunt down all perpetrators involved and bring them to book. I also call upon community members to come forward with information that can lead to the arrest of these criminals,” Ledwaba said.
Anyone with information was requested to contact Brigadier James Esbach at 082-576-0743 or Captain Richard Boshomane at 079-894-5501, or call the crime stop toll free number 08600-0111 or contact the nearest police station.