A hostage drama at the Department of Home Affairs in Johannesburg entered a third hour at 5.30pm on Wednesday with a Soweto man (31) holding a woman employee (35) in an office behind closed doors, police said.
”He is locked inside with the woman while police negotiators and other authorities are pleading with him to let her go,” Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht told a South African Press Association (Sapa) reporter at the scene.
Engelbrecht said the man entered the offices this afternoon, took out a handgun and pointed it at the woman.
”Then he grabbed her and marched her off to the room, and locked [them] in there.”
Superintendent Chris Wilken said home affairs officials were also on the scene.
”It’s difficult to know when this situation will end,” he said. ”However, we are negotiating to ensure that we save a life here.”
At 5.30pm, the drama showed no signs of abating, with crowds of onlookers staring at the building from Market Street.
It appeared as if some employees were still in the building, as the Sapa reporter saw movement there.
Engelbrecht earlier said the man stormed into the offices shortly after 3pm, demanding his identity document.
”He was told to come back at a later stage,” she said. ”We believe the man had been to home affairs on several occasion asking for his ID, but kept on being told to come back.”
At 4.45pm, Engelbrecht said there was no change in the situation.
”All the police personnel who need to be there are there,” she said. ”They are handling the situation.”
Captain Schalk Bornman, on the scene, said he could not speak to the media.
”We are very busy right now,” he said. — Sapa