Cop killers on the run *UPDATED*

Dedicated policeman and family man W/O Thomas Mabada said goodbye to his family as usual before taking up his day shift at 12:00. He was attached to the section for visible policing at Siloam. Little did anyone know that it would be the last time his family would see him alive.

Mabada (52) of Tshivhilidulu was killed in an ambush by armed robbers in bushes at Lwamondo, not far from Thohoyandou. His colleague, whose name was not revealed by the police, escaped unharmed but deeply traumatised.

Mabada joins the more than 70 policemen who lost their lives in the line of duty countrywide this year. He is the first one to be killed on duty in Limpopo this year, while three off-duty policemen also lost their lives in the province this year.

Information at this paper’s disposal indicates that Mabada and his companion were on patrol between Thohoyandou and Siloam when a suspicious-looking vehicle was spotted. Limpopo police spokesperson Col Ronel Otto said the deceased and his colleague gave chase, with the suspected car taking a gravel road in the Lwamondo area.

It is believed that there were three men in the other vehicle and, according to speculations, they abandoned their vehicle and came back to the road, where they ambushed the policemen from the side of the road before fleeing on foot.

W/O Mabada was fatally hit and his traumatised and shocked colleague drove for two kilometres with the body of his companion to a nearby factory, where he summoned help. Soon thereafter, a massive manhunt by the police combed the area and the getaway car was later found in dense bushes.

Mabada’s killing has received widespread condemnation from all quarters in the community.

Premier Chupu Mathabatha appealed to anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the killers to come forward. “We cannot allow robbers to reign supreme in our province and it will not be tolerated,” he said. He further urged the police to continue doing their work diligently according to their training, without fear or favour.

Limpopo police commissioner Lt Gen Fannie Masemola, accompanied by senior police officers in Vhembe, visited the grieving family on Tuesday. He assured the family that it would be just a matter of time before they arrested the criminals. “We will leave no stone unturned in the hunt for these callous criminals. We started yesterday, and so far we have managed to recover the robbers’ vehicle. We now have a picture of whom we are looking for and it will only be a matter of time, be it days, weeks or months, before we catch them,” said Masemola. He further urged members to defend their lives and do it within the bounds of the law.

The police contingent then went to the scene of the incident. Some family members could be seen crying openly at the scene where it happened.

A local Siloam businessman, Rafiq Lakha, said attacks of a similar nature would not stop if the community did not work with the police in ridding the area of fire-arms. “There have been so many robberies in this area and we asked for an escort from the local police. While we were heading for home around 05:30, we spotted a suspicious-looking car as they waited to rob us. We reported this to the police, and it was only after an hour that we heard of the incident.”

The chairperson of the Limpopo Community Policing Forum, Mr Edward Mafune, said the killing of a policeman was disturbing. "Police killings pose a big challenge in the community, and the police themselves and the community should come on board and give us all the information and form partnerships with the police, so that we fight this scourge together. The killing of one policeman means 380 people in the community are left unprotected," he said. 

Family spokesperson Mr Zakes Mabada said the incident had come as a great shock and blow to the family. “Thomas started his police work at the Thohoyandou police before moving to Siloam, where he worked until his death. He served the police department for 25 years and he was a dedicated worker, who served his community with distinction. He also loved education and he took all his children to private schools,” he said.

He said that the death hit them where it mattered most as W/O Mabada was a unifier and leader in the family and his community. “We are in pain and we have decided as a family not to prolong his burial; we will be burying him at the weekend. We feel keeping his body for long will prolong the pain in our hearts and we want to urge his colleagues to understand us in that respect,” he said.

Mabada is survived by his wife Cecilia, also a police officer at the same station. They have five children. “

Col Otto said that they had opened a murder case, but that they had not made any arrest yet.

09 November 2015 - Update

The police have confirmed that two of the three suspects that have been arrested in connection with the murder of warrant officer Thomas Mabada (52), appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court on Friday (6^th). The case against Vincent Thivhileli Hlungwane (23) and Norman Munise Langutani (33) was postponed until 13 November for a formal bail application.

The third suspect, Dakalo Makhavhu (27), said the police, could not be linked to the murder of W/O Mabada. He did, however, appear in the Mphephu Magistrate’s Court on charges of attempted murder and vehicle hijacking; crimes he allegedly committed together with Hlungwane and Langutani.

The police furthermore believe that all three suspects can be linked to other serious crimes like house robberies and vehicle hijacking in the greater Thohoyandou area. Stolen laptops and cellphones were allegedly found in their possession.

A detailed update will appear in Friday’s Limpopo Mirror.

Date:06 November 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Read: 18708