Police in Gauteng are appealing to members of the public who may have information about the killers of a Tactical Response Team (TRT) member, Sergeant Edgar Tshidiso Mathope (40) to come forward. He was shot last night at his family home in Zone 2 Meadowlands and died on arrival at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
This follows an incident where another member of the same unit, Constable Elvis Mhlanga (34), was shot and wounded whilst on duty in La Rochelle on the 4th March and died on Friday night at the Millpark Hospital. Members were attached to Alexandra and Johannesburg Teams.
It is alleged that Sergeant Tsidiso (off-duty) was with his family at approximately 9pm and left the main house to his back room. While he was outside, his family heard several shots. He was later found with gunshot wounds to his upper body. His family rushed him to the hospital where he later died. The motive for the attack is still being investigated. The suspect(s) are still at large. A manhunt has been launched.
Mhlanga and other members were on routine patrol when they spotted a suspicious vehicle with three occupants at the corner 4th and Johannesburg Roads in La Rochelle. Upon searching the suspects, one of them refused to be searched and attempted to grab the officer’s firearm. During a scuffle, a shot was fired and seriously wounded a policeman to the upper body. The suspect was arrested with another at the scene. They were initially charged with attempted murder but the charge will be changed to murder when they will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrates’Court on Thursday, 14 March 2014. They were also found in possession of drugs.
Anyone with information on the suspect(s) who killed Tshidiso may contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or forward information via SMS to Primedia Crime Line at 32211 at all hours. Information with be treated as anonymous.