Three more people have been arrested in the case of a JMPD officer murdered in Vlakfontein on Wednesday while investigating an attempted robbery case.
Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the trio arrested yesterday, 17 May in Dobsonville, Soweto are aged between 20 and 35.
She said a multi-disciplinary team led by the Vaal Rand and Pretoria-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation Hawks units traced the trio to a residence in Dobsonville.
There, the authorities recovered the vehicle they believe the suspects used during the murder. At another residence, law enforcement found two firearms, one with a serial number filed off and the second belonging to the slain officer.
These are suspects number three to five.
On 15 May, the Vaal Rand-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit arrested a 25-year-old and a 27-year-old.
This was a day after members of Lenasia South SAPS responded to a shooting in Winchester Street in Vlaakfontein. When they got there, a JMPD officer lay dead, shot dead by unknown assailants.
The officer formed a team investigating an attempted robbery. The officer’s partners described a white VW Polo with a North West registration as the getaway car.
The partners told the Hawks that when they approached the vehicle, its occupants had fired on them. One of them had gotten out of the car and grabbed the injured officer’s official firearm. The officer would later be declared dead on the scene.
The incident was reported to the Vaal Rand Serious Organised Crime Investigation for further probe on Thursday, 15 May 2025, who immediately started scouring for leads.
All five suspects will appear in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, 19 May, on charges of murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, as well as defeating the ends of justice.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa applauded the relentless efforts of the multi-disciplinary team in ensuring those who are attacking law enforcement agents are brought to book.
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