Child found cops' bodies in house

2011-07-28 21:20

Johannesburg - The 9-year-old son of a Sebokeng police constable woke up on Thursday morning to find the bodies of his father and a woman in the house, Gauteng police said.

"Two police constables, both aged 40 and stationed in Vereeniging were found dead in a house in Zone 12 Sebokeng," said Captain Katlego Mogale.

Neighbours apparently heard a banging noise at about 22:00 on Wednesday.

"When they tried to listen carefully, the sound subsided," Mogale said.

"Early this morning, neighbours were woken up by a 9-year-old boy who summoned help. The neighbour allegedly found the two constables lying dead and a pistol next to them."

Mogale said the boy was the male constable's son.

She said he was asleep but found the bodies when he woke up.

Mogale declined to speculate on the matter, saying she did not know whether the man and woman were in a relationship.

"The motive for the killing is unknown and will form part of the investigation."

On Saturday, in Itsoseng, North West, a police officer shot and injured a woman before shooting himself dead. The motive for the shooting in that case was not known.

In the line of duty

Meanwhile, in the past 10 days, four police officers have been killed in the line of duty.

On July 19, Warrant Officer Leon Nieuwoudt, 38, was shot dead after he arrested two suspected stock thieves on a farm near Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape.

On Sunday, two flying squad police officers, Petrus Mokoena, 45, and Bhekuyise Mahlalela, 47, were shot dead when they stopped a bakkie with two occupants in Zonkizizwe, Ekurhuleni.

On Wednesday morning, Warrant Officer Mxolisi Mdutyana, 44, was shot dead at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Reiger Park, east of Johannesburg, while he and a constable were on patrol in the area.

National police commissioner General Bheki Cele was said to be highly upset after being told of the Reiger Park shooting.

His spokesperson Colonel Vishnu Naidoo said his reaction was: "When will this stop?

Cele said in a statement on Wednesday: "I want to make another appeal to the people of South Africa to help stop the murder of police officers. The time has come for communities to say 'HANDS OFF our cops'...

"The police officers that are being killed are spouses, parents, siblings and children but also - importantly - they are from your community trying to keep you safe."

According to figures published in The Star newspaper on Thursday, 54 police officers had been killed in action since January this year.

- SAPA