Filling station robbery: policeman killed, two others disarmed

A police officer was killed and two colleagues and a security guard were injured during a robbery at a filling station in Thembisa on Thursday morning.

A group of armed suspects robbed a convenience store, housed in a filling station on Andrew Mapheto Drive, of an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes.

“As the group was about to leave, they noticed a group of police officers entering the filling station. They immediately opened fire on three members attached to the Thembisa South police station and a security guard,” police spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe said .

She said the three members and the guard sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were disarmed of their service pistols. She said all members and the security guard were taken to hospital for treatment where one of the members died.  

A manhunt is under way for the group of at least 15 suspects who fled the scene in a Toyota Quantum minibus and a Toyota Corolla Prestige.

Mathe said national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has directed the Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela to mobilise maximum resources  to catch the culprits.

In a separate incident, police management learnt with sadness of the death of three policemen in traffic accident in Vereeniging on Wednesday morning. 

“At the time of the accident, the three members from the Vereeniging police station were conducting crime prevention patrols when a truck allegedly failed to stop at a four-way crossing.

“The truck drove into the SAPS vehicle and dragged it for at least 500m until it came to a standstill. The three SAPS members were certified dead at the scene,” Mathe said.

The three deceased have been identified as Capt Shashape Theletsane, 58, W/O Aaron Mfazwe, 54, and Const Timothy Mbele, 45.

The driver of the truck has been arrested.

“The national commissioner has sent his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the four members and wished the two injured members a speedy recovery” Mathe said.

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