EC Police Launch Manhunt for Killers After Officer Was Shot and Killed During Business Robbery

• A SAPS constable was killed and several officers injured during a business robbery ambush by 20 suspects
• The attackers seized police firearms and attempted to explode the filling station's safe before fleeing
• SAPS Management has launched a manhunt and opened cases of murder, attempted murder, and robbery, with the Hawks leading the investigation

Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered court, accidents, weather and crime-related news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.

A South African Police Service (SAPS) constable was shot and killed, and several other officers were injured during a brazen business robbery near a Total Garage in Bizana early this morning, 15 July 2024.

The incident occurred at Mbizana Main Road when a group of approximately 20 suspects ambushed three police vehicles returning from a crime scene at Ezityatyaneni Locality.

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The police convoy was attacked near the filling station at Mbizana CBD.

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Officers targeted by killers

The 35-year-old constable, along with other officers, was targeted by the heavily armed suspects who opened fire, fatally wounding the constable and injuring his colleagues.

Following the shootout, the assailants seized police firearms and attempted to explode the filling station's safe but fled the scene without success.

SAPS Management has launched a comprehensive manhunt to apprehend the suspects involved in this heinous crime.

Cases of murder attempted murder, and business robbery have been opened, with detectives from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, spearheading the investigation.

The identity of the deceased constable will be released once his next of kin have been notified.

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Commissioner condemns the killing of officers

Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene condemned the attack, emphasising the crime's seriousness and law enforcement's commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

"The killing of the police official while serving the members of the community undermines the efforts by the state to combat and prevent crime."

Mene further assured that anyone disrupting peace and targeting police officers would be arrested and prosecuted, denouncing the act as both lawless and a display of criminal insanity.

The community and law enforcement agencies are urged to cooperate fully in the ongoing investigation, ensuring that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice.

Limpopo police launch manhunt for killers after prominent businesswoman and relative found burnt at hotel

Briefly News reported that Limpopo police have launched a manhunt for suspects responsible for the murder of a businesswoman and her relative.

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The burnt bodies were discovered in two different buildings of a Limpopo hotel in Ohringstad over the weekend.

Eyewitnesses told police that they saw a man with a balaclava fleeing the hotel at the time of the murders.

Source: Briefly News