‘We are shattered’: family after 16-hour hostage ordeal ends in tragedy

The family of 32-year-old police constable Thapelo Mashego, who held his mother and nephew hostage for about 16 hours, say they are shattered by the incident.

Mashego is alleged to have killed his nephew before turning the gun on himself, shortly after negotiators persuaded him to release his mother. However, talks later broke down. During the 16-hour ordeal, he reportedly asked to speak to his brother and girlfriend.

The family is speculating that one of the factors was that he discovered the child he had with his girlfriend was not his but his brother’s.

“There are too many questions without answers,” said Mashego’s uncle, Steve Mphela.

Mphela, who lives in Themba, Hammanskraal, said he received a call at about 8.30am on Tuesday from one of his nephews, asking him to speak to Mashego.

“I called him and asked what was happening. He explained that he had a situation and that we would talk. I asked what kind of situation, so that if it’s fixable, we can fix it. He just said they hadn’t treated him nicely at home,” he said.

He said he was called again later and informed that Mashego had held some family members hostage.

He said at first he didn’t take it seriously until he received another call informing him that the situation was serious and that police were on the scene.

“I had to rush there when I knocked off at 4pm. I arrived about 5pm and found the police there. I asked the negotiators to allow me to talk to him and try to calm him down — I didn’t know if he had shot the child yet or not. They refused and passed us as if we were not family until the situation got out of hand. They failed us, I am fed up,” he said.

Mphela expressed his disappointment at the SAPS negotiation squad and believes that had they allowed him to try to speak to him, the situation would have turned out differently.

“We could have been talking a different story, despite that, maybe he panicked because he shot the nephew — I think that's what made him panic and refuse,” Mphela said.

“What he did was unlike him, we never thought that we would ever have a challenge with him. He was a darling, he was loved by everyone. Everyone still can't believe it ,” said Mphela.

According to Mphela, when he last spoke to Mashego on the phone, his words as he tried to explain what was wrong were: “I have been trying, and here at home they don't want to listen, and I will fix it with violence.”

Keitumetse was a vibrant, outspoken young leader — actively involved in school activities and extramural programmes — who showed a keen interest in the development of the school and in the growth of others: a true Silvie learner

—  Hoërskool Silverton

“I told him violence is not a solution because you will lose your job, and he said, 'I have already lost it,' and I said we will sort the issue,” he said. “I loved him so much, he had filled my shoes. I gave him tips on how to be a police officer, and he worked at the same station I worked in. He had discipline and was loved by all.”

He confirmed the 18-year-old nephew who was shot was Mashego’s sister’s son, Keitumetse Mashego.

Keitumetse, he said, was just like his name — ever smiling. They had expected a bright future for him.

His school, Hoërskool Silverton, shared their sadness at the grade 12 pupil’s death.

“Keitumetse was a vibrant, outspoken young leader — actively involved in school activities and extramural programmes — who showed a keen interest in the development of the school and in the growth of others: a true Silvie learner,” said the school.

The South African Policing Union (Sapu) in Gauteng said the tragedy speaks to the severity of mental health issues in the service.

Spokesperson Jabu Mabaso said: “Our members are suffering, it is clear that this cry for help is bigger than what we would want to perceive it to be. These incidents show the seriousness of mental health issues that are not being attended to or being dealt with adequately.”

He urged officers to make use of internal and external health and wellbeing services on offer.

National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has urged officials in the service to take advantage of the mental health support on offer, both in-house and externally. He said the organisation is doing all it can to ensure officials’ mental health and wellbeing are prioritised. This includes:

• counselling and trauma debriefing that are available to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week and year-round in all provinces;
• the SAPS employee health and wellness programme, which follows an integrated approach using psychology professionals, social workers, chaplains and medical administration practitioners to provide support and assistance to employees and their families; and
• access to external specialists via the Polmed and Gems medical schemes.

In December the police ministry said in reply to a parliamentary question that 19 police officers had committed suicide during the first semester of the 2024/25 financial year. 

In the same period, 586 police officials were involved in gender-based violence (GBV) cases, with 397 being perpetrators and 189 being victims. Seven police officers had killed their partners and two police officers had killed other family members.

Data presented to MPs previously showed that:

• 54 officers died by suicide in the 2024/25 period;
• 62 in 2023/24;
• 45 in 2022/23;
• 39 suicides in 2021/22;
• 30 in the 2020/21; and
• 33 in 2019/20.

From 2019 to 2022, there were 38 murder-suicide incidents.

Triggers or symptoms to look out for to determine if officers are experiencing psychological stress and/or an emotional imbalance, according to the ministry are: 

• Avoidance: individuals may lose interest or avoid being involved in activities that they previously enjoyed, possibly avoiding certain places which may serve as a reminder of past traumatic events. Individuals may also avoid active engagement with colleagues, preferring to spend more time alone, while preoccupied with thoughts of a past traumatic incident.
• Intrusive symptoms: individuals may experience disturbing or traumatic thoughts, which may also disrupt normal sleep routines, resulting in the individual becoming preoccupied with the traumatic event and possibly having anxiety attacks.
• Hypervigilance: individuals may present a startled response or be very sensitive to sounds, smells and places that are linked to a past traumatic event.

Early warning and/or detection mechanisms exist within the SAPS, to enable the initiation of preventive actions, the ministry said. These can include:

• referrals by a commander or a colleague to an employee health and wellness practitioner for support and therapy;
• self-referral; and
• accessing the services of specialists affiliated to the police medical scheme.