Mpumalanga On-Duty Officer Shoots Girlfriend and Himself in Murder-Suicide

• A SAPS member shot and killed his girlfriend before fatally shooting himself in Standerton, Mpumalanga
• While on patrol, the officer reportedly saw his girlfriend, who was also part of the force, in a car with another man
• The female officer was rushed to a local hospital; however, she succumbed to her multiple bullet wounds

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered Mpumalanga crime stories and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

A policeman shot and killed his girlfriend, who was also an officer, before turning the gun on himself in Standerton, Mpumalanga.

Officer murders girlfriend

The on-duty officer from Val Police Station was on patrol when he allegedly spotted his girlfriend in a car with another man on 30 April 2024. According to @sa_crime, the officer confronted his off-duty girlfriend, which resulted in him shooting her multiple times.

Read also

Tshwane Metro cop out on bail after raping woman seeking help

The Standerton Chronicle said the male officer then turned the gun on himself. The unknown man reportedly fled the scene.

Reports state that the woman was rushed off to a local hospital; however, she succumbed to her injuries.

Citizens call on counselling for SAPS

Many netizens who were reacting to the prevalence of reported murder-suicides in the police force pointed out the importance of counselling for our men and women in blue.

@TheGeopol advised:

“Make therapy mandatory for SAPS, they need to stop seeing a gun as a solution to every problem they encounter.”

@renei_Nay said:

“Surprise, surprise. Police officers again. All relationships between police officers have the same ending; we don’t even get shocked.”

@BVandau added:

“So many social workers without a job, if only our gov cared enough.”

Read also

Western Cape High Court tightens security for high-profile notorious crime boss trials

@sabhukumandiva recommended:

“Send them all back to the academy for re-orientation.”

@SparksTsetse guided:

“Stop dating at work.”

Mpumalanga woman sentenced to 2 decades for police boyfriend’s murder

Breifly News reported that Zanele Mkhonto was serving her 20-year sentence for the murder of her police officer boyfriend, Sergeant Mandlenkosi Thwala.

The NPA said the 30-year-old was sentenced in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court on 4 April 2024.

Acting Judge Sheila Msibi said that while the killing of a police officer is a loss to society, she found that there were substantial and compelling circumstances justifying deviation from a life sentence.

Source: Briefly News