'They said robbers shot him': Video blows away cop death 'cover-up'

Constable Tshepo Tladi's family were told he was shot and killed by armed robbers last week. Now they believe he was killed by a colleague, shot through the head almost at point-blank range.

Chilling video evidence emerged yesterday which has destroyed an apparent cover-up by police officers at the scene of the shooting during a robbery in Katlehong last week. The video, obtained by The Times, can be viewed on our website.

It captured the final moments of the 34-year-old officer described as a loving family man by his relatives and whose mother Jubriel, who was also a police officer, was killed on duty in 2005.

Now his family are demanding answers from the police who they say lied to them about what happened. The family have the video.

One of Tladi's aunts, Tshidi Tladi, 39, said: "They don't tell us anything. He was shot by a colleague. I feel like dying right now, the way I feel.

"What surprises me is why don't they come back to me and my sister and say 'this is what happened'. It means they were aware of what happened and kept it quiet," Tshidi said.

Yesterday morning Gauteng police spokesman Captain Kay Makhubela was sticking to the official version that Tladi was shot after being "ambushed by heavily armed criminals".

By yesterday afternoon he was bouncing media inquiries upstairs.

The video footage, taken from security cameras dated last Thursday morning, shows three uniformed officers and a man in civilian clothing hiding in what appears to be a rest area at a garage on the corner of Kgotso Street and Hospital Road. 

The officers begin firing at unseen assailants.

Tladi - who was working night shift for the second time - is seen engaged in heavy gunfire. As he retreats he crosses the line of sight of the officer behind him who is also beginning to retreat.

At that moment the policeman behind Tladi fires a single shot and Tladi collapses immediately.

The officer who allegedly fired the shot seems shocked, as if he realises what he has done, and retreats.

An officer later returns to the scene and appears to be attempting to change the position of his fallen colleague's body.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Moses Dlamini, who has seen the footage, said: "What is supposed to be reported is a policeman was killed by another. But what is reported is he was killed by robbers."

Dlamini said the shooting had not been reported as required.

He confirmed that Ipid was investigating the killing of a police officer by a colleague and the possible tampering with the scene.

Polette Tladi, 42, said she was called to Union Hospital in Alberton early on Thursday .

"They only told me he was in a critical condition. They told me he was shot by robbers and he was shot at close range," said Polette.

"He was on a ventilator. They told us they did what they could and they were waiting to shut down the machines," she said.

Gauteng provincial police spokesman Brigadier Mathapelo Peters would only confirm that the shooting was being investigated.