String of devastating SMSes in Witbank murder-suicide tragedy

Police officers raced across town in a desperate bid to prevent a murder-suicide, only to be left shattered when their colleague allegedly killed his wife, before turning the gun on himself.

Mpumalanga provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma on Friday described the trauma experienced by his team.

The sergeant, who was attached to the Witbank police station, is alleged to have killed his wife on January 3 2019. He left her body in her car on the streets of Tasbet Park in Witbank.

Shortly after police heard of “this horrible incident”, the sergeant was “sending devastating text messages to his colleagues, mentioning that he was also going to end his life”.

“The narratives contained in the text messages were indeed later confirmed when the police found the suspect at his place, at which point, upon their arrival, he allegedly shot himself on his upper body and later succumbed at the hospital.”

Lieutenant-General Zuma urged police officers experiencing domestic problems to utilise psycho-social services available to them, instead of resorting to violent acts.

“Violence or suicide will never be a solution to problems.”