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Polokwane cop who allegedly shot man at point-blank range to apply for bail

Compiled by Getrude Makhafola
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A police sergeant is expected to appear in court for shooting and killing a man in Polokwane.
A police sergeant is expected to appear in court for shooting and killing a man in Polokwane.
PHOTO: Getty Images
  • A Polokwane police sergeant charged with murder is expected to apply for bail in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court.
  • He allegedly shot a man at point-blank range.
  • The man had been waiting for his girlfriend to come out of a shop.

A Limpopo police sergeant, who allegedly shot a man at point-blank range, is expected to apply for bail in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Forty-four-year-old Moloto Kenneth Shongwe was sitting in his car on Saturday, 22 May, waiting for his girlfriend to come out of a shop when Sergeant Mphela Obed Mokoena, 36, approached the vehicle.

Police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said:

It is alleged that he produced a firearm and shot Shongwe at point-blank [range] and then fled. The victim was certified dead on the scene.

Two days after the incident, Mokoena was charged after he handed himself over to police at the Polokwane police station. He made his first court appearance last Tuesday.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe condemned the killing.

Hadebe said:

We want to reassure community members that the majority of police members are disciplined and conduct themselves in accordance with the code of conduct and set standards. This isolated, deviant and criminal conduct allegedly manifested by this member will therefore not be tolerated.

Hadebe added that, in addition to a criminal investigation, police management would take internal steps against the officer.

The motive for the murder is unknown.

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