4 Men Accused of Murders of 2 North West Police Officers Found Guilty

• Four accused cop killers stood side by side as they came to learn their fates at the Mafikeng High Court
• The quartet were convicted of the murders of two North West police officers, among a slew of charges
• After passing the guilty verdicts, the court postponed the case to 7 March 2025 for a sentencing hearing

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist at Briefly News. A Head of Current Affairs, Mametela reported live from the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents and other topics, including sports, at The Herald and Opera News SA, among others.

MAHIKENG — Four police killers learnt their fate in the Mafikeng High Court after being found guilty of the murders of two North West officers.

The quartet were convicted on a litany of charges following the brutal July 2021 killings of the South African Police Service (SAPS) members.

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Police killers face music in court

Benjamin Jacobs, Gaorekwe Mongale, Rapula Keaikitse and Mathews Modukanele stood side-by-side in the dock as the judgement was passed on Friday, 21 February 2025.

In addition to the murders, they faced stock theft, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the ends of justice, malicious damage to property, and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition charges.

It is alleged that on Monday, 26 July 2021, Jacobs, 45, Keaikitse, 27, Modukanele, 23, and Mongale, 28, were travelling on a road when officers stopped them.

They were transporting 18 goats in their vehicle, for which they were unable to provide a valid livestock transportation permit.

The officers instructed the men to follow them to the Mareetsane police station, situated in Mooifontein, Radithuso, in Mafikeng.

The court heard that the suspects’ car experienced a breakdown along the way, after which they asked the cops for assistance.

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"As one of the officers tried to attach a tow rope, the suspects attacked them with hammers before tying them up," said North West National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya.

"Afterwards, they loaded the officers' bodies into the back of the police van. Authorities later located a burnt police car in the area of Mosita Wildlife Farm near Vryburg, with two bodies that were burnt beyond recognition."

Gunya said investigations determined it was the bakkie the slain officers used.

"Further investigations led the police to the accused at a residence in Logageng and recovered a Z88 pistol containing live rounds inside a mattress. In court, they pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence, leading to the guilty verdicts."

The case was postponed to 7 March 2025 for sentencing, while the four accused remain in custody.

Police killings in South Africa

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In an August 2023 Portfolio Committee on Police Parliamentary session, a report revealed that 31 police officers were killed between April and June 2023.

This was nearly double the number of officers killed responding to crime scenes during the same period in 2022.

Later statistics showed that 35 officers were killed on and off duty between July and September 2023. In the five months between April and September, an additional 12 on and off-duty police officers were killed, amounting to 78.

At a South African Police Service (SAPS) Commemoration Day on 1 September 2024, honouring fallen service members, it was revealed that 39 men and women in blue had died in the line of duty from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

A total of 111 — 39 on-duty and 72 off-duty — were killed in the previous financial year. In the first quarter of 2024/2025, 21 members were killed, with 16 murdered off-duty and five while on.

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During the same period, law enforcement arrested 18 suspects, nine in connection with the 21 officer killings. Twelve accused were convicted in four cases and sentenced to a combined imprisonment of 139 years and six months.

Constables killed in QwaQwa house robbery

In a related story, Briefly News reported that two police officers were shot and killed in Mangailung village, Namahadi, in QwaQwa in the Free State on Saturday, 4 January 2024.

The constables responded to a house robbery at about 10pm in the remote locale, about 340km from Bloemfontein.

Source: Briefly News