A senior officer of the South African Police Service managed to defend himself after being attacked at his home in Southern Johannesburg last night.
At approximately 9pm last night, Thursday April 24, 2014, Major General Daniel Mthombeni surprised two armed intruders minutes after arriving home. Maj Gen Mthombeni is the Cluster Commander of Pretoria Central.
After being confronted by the two armed men, a shoot-out ensued between the suspects and the police general. Mthombeni sustained a gun-shot wound to the shoulder after being shot at several times by the suspects, who managed to flee.
Two cell phones were stolen from Mthombeni during the attack.
There is a possibility that one or both of the suspects were wounded during the exchange of gun fire. The SAPS therefore calls upon all hospitals, clinics, private doctors and paramedics to be on the alert for any person seeking medical assistance for a bullet wound.
The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Riah Phiyega, has condemned the incident. She has wished Maj Gen Mthombeni a speedy recovery and congratulated him on defending himself against what could have been a fatal attack. “The SAPS family is relieved that Maj Gen Mthombeni put his police training to good use and that we have not lost yet another good, dedicated public servant,” said Phiyega.
The incident is being investigated by a special task team, under Lieutenant General Moonoo, which is determined to track down the attackers and bring them before court as soon as possible.