THE Eastern Cape’s top cop, Lieutenant- General Celiwe Binta , had a lucky escape when five gunmen shot at her vehicle in a botched hijacking in Berlin outside East London on Saturday.
Her driver was injured in the incident.
The police commissioner, her police bodyguard and a female passenger, were driving towards Lingelitsha township near Berlin just before midday on Saturday, when the gunmen allegedly tried to hijack her BMW X3 at an intersection near the township.
The bodyguard was driving slowly to negotiate the road, when the men surrounded the car and pointed guns, including an R5 rifle, at the passengers.
Binta’s spokeswoman, Brigadier Marinda Mills, referred inquiries to the office of the MEC for Safety and Liaison Helen Sauls- August. Her spokesman, Lwandile Sicwetsha, confirmed the incident, saying three attempted murder cases had been opened.
Sicwetsha said Binta’s vehicle was approaching the intersection when the five men appeared from nowhere.
He said the suspects were armed with pistols and “one (had) an R5 rifle”.
“They forced the driver to stop, one then fired a round towards the commissioner’s vehicle. The bullet penetrated the front driver’s window and exited through the front passenger’s window,” Sicwetsha said.
“The bullet narrowly missed the driver who sustained cuts to the face due to the glass shrapnel caused by the bullet hitting the window.
“The driver managed to pull off and maintained control of the vehicle and drove to the Berlin police station in spite of the right front tyre being damaged,” he added.
The suspects then proceeded to a nearby house where they held a local pastor, the Reverend Stanley Makinana, and his family at gunpoint before taking his car keys and cellphones, he added.
They took his bakkie and drove off at high speed towards Berlin central business district.
Makinana told the Dispatch yesterday he had refused to hand over the keys to the suspects, but “one of them pointed an automatic rifle at me and took my car keys and cellphones.
“My wife and kids were hiding inside the house. They are still traumatised.”
Sicwetsha said the thugs sped off with Makinana’s vehicle and later robbed a local butchery of R6000. When the Daily Dispatch arrived in Berlin a few minutes after the incident, police teams were still combing the crime scenes for clues.
Members from Mdantsane Flying Squad, the Tactical Response Unit and Dog Unit could be seen leaving and entering Berlin police station where Binta had sought refuge. Sicwetsha said the suspects were still at large.
“It appears that the motive for the attack on the commissioner was to obtain her vehicle for use in the robbery and when they could not succeed they robbed the second vehicle,” said Sicwetsha.
Sauls-August condemned the incident, saying “the police will not rest until suspects are arrested”. —
Top cop’s lucky escape from thugs
Her driver was injured in the incident.
The police commissioner, her police bodyguard and a female passenger, were driving towards Lingelitsha township near Berlin just before midday on Saturday, when the gunmen allegedly tried to hijack her BMW X3 at an intersection near the township.
The bodyguard was driving slowly to negotiate the road, when the men surrounded the car and pointed guns, including an R5 rifle, at the passengers.
Binta’s spokeswoman, Brigadier Marinda Mills, referred inquiries to the office of the MEC for Safety and Liaison Helen Sauls- August. Her spokesman, Lwandile Sicwetsha, confirmed the incident, saying three attempted murder cases had been opened.
Sicwetsha said Binta’s vehicle was approaching the intersection when the five men appeared from nowhere.
He said the suspects were armed with pistols and “one (had) an R5 rifle”.
“They forced the driver to stop, one then fired a round towards the commissioner’s vehicle. The bullet penetrated the front driver’s window and exited through the front passenger’s window,” Sicwetsha said.
“The bullet narrowly missed the driver who sustained cuts to the face due to the glass shrapnel caused by the bullet hitting the window.
“The driver managed to pull off and maintained control of the vehicle and drove to the Berlin police station in spite of the right front tyre being damaged,” he added.
The suspects then proceeded to a nearby house where they held a local pastor, the Reverend Stanley Makinana, and his family at gunpoint before taking his car keys and cellphones, he added.
They took his bakkie and drove off at high speed towards Berlin central business district.
Makinana told the Dispatch yesterday he had refused to hand over the keys to the suspects, but “one of them pointed an automatic rifle at me and took my car keys and cellphones.
“My wife and kids were hiding inside the house. They are still traumatised.”
Sicwetsha said the thugs sped off with Makinana’s vehicle and later robbed a local butchery of R6000. When the Daily Dispatch arrived in Berlin a few minutes after the incident, police teams were still combing the crime scenes for clues.
Members from Mdantsane Flying Squad, the Tactical Response Unit and Dog Unit could be seen leaving and entering Berlin police station where Binta had sought refuge. Sicwetsha said the suspects were still at large.
“It appears that the motive for the attack on the commissioner was to obtain her vehicle for use in the robbery and when they could not succeed they robbed the second vehicle,” said Sicwetsha.
Sauls-August condemned the incident, saying “the police will not rest until suspects are arrested”. —
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