Police constable gunned down in Soweto before testifying in court

A police constable who was due to testify in a court case on Thursday, was shot dead in Soweto, Johannesburg, on Wednesday evening.

National police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo said Cst Ntobeko Nhlanhla Langa was followed by three men in a white sedan.

Naidoo said when Langa stopped his car, one of the men opened fire on him from the sedan.

The constable died "instantly".

"Nothing, including the member's service pistol, was taken," said Naidoo.

The constable, attached to the crime intelligence unit in Soweto East since 2011, was scheduled to lead evidence in a case at the Randfontein magistrate's court on Thursday.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, an officer was shot and wounded while conducting crime prevention duties in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria.

"The member was part of a team that was searching for suspects who had allegedly been committing robberies in the area.

"In a routine stop-and-search, the team pulled over a vehicle, but as they ordered the suspect to alight from the vehicle, he began shooting towards the members, wounding Cst Tumelo Raphael Mohlala," Naidoo said.