National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola says they are confident they have arrested the right person in the killing of 47-year-old Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni.
He was shot and killed in the line of duty in Mpumalanga on Friday.
Mtshweni was part of a group of police officers who responded to a business burglary in Schoemansdaal when they were attacked by a group of 10 suspects.
Masemola and Acting Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi visited Mtshweni’s family on Sunday.
Masemola adds that they know who else they are looking for. “We have arrested one suspect in the killing of Sergeant Mtshweni, and we are hot on the heels of those who are still on the run. We are quite confident we’ll find them. We are definitely confident also that we have got the right person, and we know who we are looking for. It’s just a matter of finding them.”
Call for justice
Losing a husband and father, the family of the slain police officer has called for justice to prevail.
His wife, Gugu Mtshweni says she now lives in fear.
“All I am asking for is that the suspects must get life imprisonment. I don’t even want to know the reason they did this. I’d be very happy if they could be found because now I live in fear. I could hear the gunshots when they were shooting because it happened close to our house, the sound was so loud it sounded like they were shooting in the yard.”
Police union Popcru says, more police officers are needed on the ground.
Popcru provincial chairperson Star Mmadi says, “It has always been our call to the management of SAPS that there needs to be an intervention in regards to police killings. Because if you remember, in the past 48 hours, we have lost 3 officers in the country. The issue of shortage of members is key to this because in this scene, where we are in Schoemansdal, you see the number of thugs that are alleged to have done this thing, they were outnumbered by the number of police officers. It is alleged that their number was between 7 and 10, whereas the police officers who responded were only 4. The issue of backup is one of the things we lack as police officers.”
Mtshweni was the third police officer to be killed in the line of duty since the start of this weekend alone.
#sapsHQ [SPEAKER NOTES FOR NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: VISIT TO FAMILIES OF WARRANT OFFICER SINTWA AND SERGEANT MASENYE]
The South African Police Service has sadly lost three police officers in the last 24 hours, in the line of duty. Two are detectives attached to the Florida police… pic.twitter.com/5V9qSJ7n8f
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) August 10, 2025
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