CAPE TOWN, Aug. 26 — A South African police captain involved in the investigation into the murder of former Knysna Mayor and current African National Congress (ANC) Councilor Aubrey Tsengwa was killed in a shootout on Wednesday, police said.
The 50-year-old captain was attached to the Western Cape provincial Tactical Response Team and had been deployed to Knysna as part of an investigation into Tsengwa’s murder and the killings of two other people in separate shooting incidents last week, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.
The officer was killed during an operation to follow up information about illegal firearms. “At the time of the captain’s death, the SAPS integrated team was executing an operation following up information about illegal firearms at Sewende Laan informal settlement on Uniondale Road,” the SAPS added. A 38-year-old suspect was also killed in the shootout, and two firearms were recovered from his possession, according to the police.
Tsengwa, 48, was shot dead on Aug. 19 while traveling in a vehicle with three passengers. A day later, ANC members Mandla Tyhololo and Mandla Matiwane were killed in another shooting in Knysna. Three suspects have appeared in court in connection with Tsengwa’s case, while investigations into the killings of Tyhololo and Matiwane are continuing, according to police.
Ian Cameron, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police in South Africa’s National Assembly, said the death of the captain should be followed by a full investigation into the operation and the firearms recovered. “This cannot simply be recorded as another operational death.
There must be a full debrief of what happened, proper support for the members involved and a clear investigation into the firearms that were recovered, including whether they can be linked to other crimes,” Cameron said.
