Mpumalanga SAPS have confirmed that a junior-ranking officer shot and killed his senior manager before turning the gun on himself. Picture: Keran Ducasse
Johannesburg - Mpumalanga SAPS have confirmed that a junior-ranking officer shot and killed his senior manager before turning the gun on himself.
Both of the officers, believed to be attached to the VIP Protection Unit, are dead, following the incident at the Old Edgars Building in Mbombela this morning.
Mpumalanga Provincial spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala told The Star that the members went to work in the morning as usual.
"Then, at around 7.50am those around heard gunshots, only to find a 65-year-old colonel and a 53-year-old sergeant lying on the ground. It is suspected that the sergeant shot the colonel and turned the gun on himself," said Mohlala.
He said that at this stage they do not know the motive for the killing and suicide.
"We are investigating the case; our members are on the scene. In the morning, there was no fight; it was just a normal day. It's a matter of us investigating. We hope that our members, as soon as they are done with the scene, will clarify details as to how many times gunshots were fired and which part of the body," said Mohlala.
According to sources close to the members, there had been acrimony between the two men over the colonel depriving the sergeant of attending courses on detached duties.
The source tipped off The Star about the incident earlier in the day, however, Mohlala denied any knowledge and did not draw himself to comment at that stage. Later, when the journalist shared a link proving that he was aware of the matter, he then commented.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said they were shocked to learn about the unfortunate incident.
"As a union, we are shocked at this incident; it is quite unfortunate, and we think that we need to look deeper to find out what led to a dispute, because it is not normal for colleagues to shoot each other," said Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo.
Mamabolo said this also speaks to the working conditions of members, and this needs to be examined so that such incidents can be averted.
The Star