The dangerous life of a cop
2002-10-26 10:07
Estcourt - A 44-year-old KwaZulu-Natal police inspector has been killed in a hijacking incident that police, at this stage, believe was motivated by robbery.
Captain Joshua Gwala said on Friday that Inspector Petros
Mtshali was driving along the main road between Estcourt and Loskop when he was confronted by gunmen who allegedly opened fire on him.
The incident occurred on Thursday night and a woman who was in
the car with Mtshali was seriously wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.
She was wounded in the stomach and is still in a serious
condition while Mtshali sustained fatal gunshot wounds to both his legs.
Mtshali and the woman managed to get out of the
car and attempted to run away while some of the hijackers escaped
in Msthali's car.
Gwala said Mtshali's car, a metallic green Mazda 323 with the
registration number NKR 4593, was still missing. The inspector was
also robbed of his service pistol.
Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to
contact Detective Inspector J M Khumalo (036) 488-1024 or to
contact Crime Stop on 08600-10111.
Senior cop dies in accident
In an unrelated incident, director Andre Grobler, a senior police officer attached to the office of the provincial commissioner of Gauteng, was killed in a traffic accident on Friday night.
The accident took place on the M1 north of Johannesburg, director Henriette Bester said in a statement on Saturday.
Grobbler (49) was the Gauteng head of finances in the SAPS and has served in the SAPS for 31 years.
He is survived by a wife, two daughters and a son.
Funeral with full honours for Sgt Malinga
A 34-year-old policeman, Sergeant Steven Malinga, who was
murdered last week in Crystal Park was to be buried in Daveyton on Saturday with full honours.
A church service was arranged at the AGC Church, Sinaba Street in Daveyton at noon, North Rand police said in a statement.
Several top Gauteng police officers, members from the metro
police, a large number of colleagues, friends and people from the
community were expected to attend the funeral.
Superintendent Eugene Opperman said Malinga died in the service
of his community when he and a colleague on the morning of October
15 from the Crystal Park police station responded to a complaint of
two men loitering near an intersection in a suspicious manner.
When they arrived at the scene and confronted the two, one of
the men drew a handgun and fired two shots at the officers, fatally
wounding Malinga in the chest. The two suspects were arrested.
Malinga joined the police in 1994.
He is survived by his wife Maria and their 9-month-old baby boy.
- SAPA