(in the pic - President Zuma Take national salute in remembrance of police officers killed in the line of duty). President Jacob Zuma addressed the South Africa Police Service Commemoration Day to remember police officers killed in the line of duty, Union Buildings, Pretoria, 06/09/2015, Elmond Jiyane, GCIS (in the pic - President Zuma Take national salute in remembrance of police officers killed in the line of duty). President Jacob Zuma addressed the South Africa Police Service Commemoration Day to remember police officers killed in the line of duty, Union Buildings, Pretoria, 06/09/2015, Elmond Jiyane, GCIS
Tankiso Makhetha and African News Agency
BARELY 24 hours after police officers who died this year were honoured, an officer shot dead his wife before turning the gun on himself at the Tshwane Police College in Pretoria.
Yesterday’s incident also came a day after another police officer was found dead following a suspected vehicle hijacking in the Eastern Cape on Sunday, just as the nation honoured fallen officers during the SAPS National Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings.
It was not clear why Sergeant Thamasanqa Tsolo, 40, gunned down his 39-year-old wife Ntswaki, but police said the circumstances surrounding the murder-suicide were being investigated.
Their bodies were found at their police residential house at the academy. The couple leave their two children.
A crowd gathered outside the house, consoling Ntswaki’s shocked family members.
The family refused to speak about the shooting, saying they were distressed and needed time to process the events that had “left them baffled”.
Thamasanqa’s family were in Thaba ’Nchu, in the Free State, and had been informed of his death, said police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe.
Thamasanqa was part of the tactical response team and was based at Pretoria Central Police Station. He became a police officer in 1996.
Gauteng Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union chairperson Vusimuzi Tshabalala said more counselling was needed to improve the mental health of police officers so such situations could be avoided.
“It is unfortunate that something like this happened because this officer leaves behind two children who are now orphans. I think the issue with police officers taking their lives stretches across the entire security cluster, and not just officers,” Tshabalala said.
However, he said the SAPS tried to support officers through counselling.
A total of 63 officers have lost their lives in the past financial year, while 58 of them died between January and August this year.
Meanwhile, the Hawks were yesterday investigating the death of a police officer whose body was found in a field next to the R67 between Fort Beaufort and Seymour in the Eastern Cape on Sunday while President Jacob Zuma was paying homage to slain officers during the commemoration day in Pretoria. “It is alleged that Sergeant Xola Sowambi, 35, was en route to report for duty on Saturday to start the morning shift, but he never reached his place of work at Fort Beaufort Police Station,” Eastern Cape police said. “A search operation including K9 members immediately commenced after he failed to report for duty and his family confirmed that he had left for work.”
Sowambi was still dressed in his uniform when his body was found. His official firearm and wallet were found nearby.
“Preliminary investigations point to a possible hijacking as his vehicle, a Blue VW Polo, was found on Saturday evening in Whittlesea, when it was stopped by the local police and two unknown males were seen running away… managing to successfully escape,” police said.
Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Celiwe Binta expressed shock at the murder.
“Our hearts go out to his loved ones and we will remember them in our prayers,” said Binta. “I request that communities work with us in sharing information about crime and the whereabouts of criminals to ensure that we deal swiftly and harshly with murderers in our communities.”