A investigation will be launched into the shooting of three policemen and four awaiting trialists at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, Johannesburg police said.
”For sure, we will launch a full scale investigation into the matter,” Superintendent Chris Wilken told reporters at the scene of the shootout.
He said the mayhem broke out during a roll call for prisoners at the court between 3.30pm and 3.45pm.
”Prisoners were being loaded onto a truck on the court’s premises when an inmate attacked a policeman and stole his service pistol,” Wilken said.
The prisoner opened fire on the policeman. A second policeman rushed to the scene and was shot three times — once in the foot and twice in the stomach.
Two policemen were airlifted to Milpark hospital and the third officer was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Deputy hospital matron Monique Lanz said by 6.30pm all three policemen were still in the emergency room.
”I can’t really tell right now… its hard to say at this stage,” she said.
Wilken said the fourth policeman, who was also taken to Milpark Hospital, suffered lacerations near his left ear. Three of the wounded inmates were taken to Rand Clinic in central Johannesburg and a fourth man, who was slightly injured, was treated on the scene.
Wilken said Thabiso Makwela (22) of Alexandra, north-eastern Johannesburg, had grabbed the gun, and started the mayhem.
Makwela allegedly started the incident shortly after he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for hijacking and three years for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm. The service pistol has been recovered.
Not a single person approached by Sapa could tell exactly how the shootout broke out except to say that they heard gunshots.
”I saw nothing,” a woman clerk who in the court premises said afterwards.
Another woman who came from Zevenfontein informal settlement near Dainfern to attend the trial of her son Lucky Ndlovu, said she heard a ”big noise and thought that some police were fighting”.
”After minutes, I heard gunshots. I started screaming for help. A woman came out from the top of the building and asked what is happening.
”I screamed for help and a few minutes later I heard more gunshots. I thought the police wanted to commit suicide,” Maria Ndlovu said.
She said she saw one of the suspects running away from the scene with a gun in his hand. The man was rearrested at a nearby taxi rank.
Lucky Ndlovu was arrested with his friend Aubrey Mokoena about 10 months ago for allegedly being in possession of stolen property. – Sapa