Attackers shoot off-duty cop
2002-09-05 22:45
Vereeniging - An off-duty detective from the Vaalrand murder and robbery unit was shot and killed shortly after arriving home on Thursday night, Vaalrand police said.
Police spokesperson Melanie Britz said four armed men arrived at the Vanderbijlpark house of Inspector MK Mabula shortly after 19:00 and tied his wife and 17-year-old step-daughter up. When Mabula arrived home shortly afterwards, the men opened fire, hitting him several times in the chest. He died at the scene.
Britz said the men fled afterwards.
Mabula's wife and step-daughter were unharmed and managed to
free themselves after the men had fled.
She said as far as could be established nothing was missing from the house.
The area commissioner for the Vaalrand, Assistent-Commissioner
Frans Steyn, has condemned the attack and said no stone would be
left unturned in the attempt to find Mabula's killers.
"The killing of a police member whose duty it is to serve and
protect the community is an attack on the entire system of justice
and threatened the cloth of peaceful society," he said.
The motive for the attack was unknown and police refused to
speculate that it could have been a revenge attack.
"All possible scenarios would be investigated," Britz said.
- SAPA