Police officers who shot and killed a young man accused of snatching a cellphone at the weekend were chased by a mob baying for their blood.
Asiphe Makhamba, 25, died after he was shot in the Mthatha informal settlement of Mandela Park on Saturday. The constable and his partner fled in their vehicle from angry residents who accused them of “apartheid” era tactics.
The victim’s devastated family said their son had been at a local tavern with friends when the two officers, responding to a robbery complaint about a cellphone, entered. The complainant allegedly pointed Makhamba out, and police then started searching the group.
While the search was in progress, Makhamba allegedly dropped his knife, said his aunt Nonzukiso Nkohla.
She claims the police officer then “lured” her nephew to his death by ordering him to pick up the weapon and open it.
Nkohla said according to eyewitnesses the officer then walked backwards telling Makhamba to follow him with his knife drawn. “Why did he order him to draw the knife?
“So that he could kill him and say he was trying to stab him,” she said, adding her nephew had been “shot through the heart at point blank range”.
The family accused police of trying to “cover up” the incident by omitting it from a regular crime report on a community radio station. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesman Moses Dlamini said a murder docket had been opened.
“An investigator attended the scene. Information at our disposal is that the deceased advanced at the policeman with a knife, after which he was shot,” said Dlamini.
Nkohla said the family was considering legal action against the SAPS. Makhamba’s widowed mother, Thumani, 46, battled to hold back her tears as she told how devastated she was by the loss of her second youngest son.
“My heart has a deep wound,” was all she could say. The constable in question is still on duty. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Mthatha cop shoots youth ‘point-blank’
Asiphe Makhamba, 25, died after he was shot in the Mthatha informal settlement of Mandela Park on Saturday. The constable and his partner fled in their vehicle from angry residents who accused them of “apartheid” era tactics.
The victim’s devastated family said their son had been at a local tavern with friends when the two officers, responding to a robbery complaint about a cellphone, entered. The complainant allegedly pointed Makhamba out, and police then started searching the group.
While the search was in progress, Makhamba allegedly dropped his knife, said his aunt Nonzukiso Nkohla.
She claims the police officer then “lured” her nephew to his death by ordering him to pick up the weapon and open it.
Nkohla said according to eyewitnesses the officer then walked backwards telling Makhamba to follow him with his knife drawn. “Why did he order him to draw the knife?
“So that he could kill him and say he was trying to stab him,” she said, adding her nephew had been “shot through the heart at point blank range”.
The family accused police of trying to “cover up” the incident by omitting it from a regular crime report on a community radio station. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesman Moses Dlamini said a murder docket had been opened.
“An investigator attended the scene. Information at our disposal is that the deceased advanced at the policeman with a knife, after which he was shot,” said Dlamini.
Nkohla said the family was considering legal action against the SAPS. Makhamba’s widowed mother, Thumani, 46, battled to hold back her tears as she told how devastated she was by the loss of her second youngest son.
“My heart has a deep wound,” was all she could say. The constable in question is still on duty. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos