Three suspects have been fatally wounded and two others arrested during a major police operation following the killing of two Eastern Cape police officers in Libode near Mthatha.
The arrests and confrontations came after police activated a 72-hour plan to track down those linked to the deaths of Warrant Officer Thando Magoxo, 51, and Constable Ntlahla Tyhali, 30.
The two officers were killed in the early hours of Friday, 18 September, at Ziphunzana Location in Libode. They had been responding to a call for help after armed suspects allegedly attacked a spaza shop and demanded money from the operator.
Both officers were killed during the incident, and their service pistols were taken. Their deaths triggered an urgent operation involving intelligence officers, specialised police teams and dog handlers.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the first breakthrough came on Friday when Mthatha Crime Intelligence and the Mthatha K9 Unit carried out an intelligence-driven operation at Ngolo Location in Sibangweni.
A 29-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were arrested. Police allege that they were found in possession of an AK47 rifle and ammunition.
The pair face charges relating to the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Their arrest forms part of the wider investigation into the attack that left Magoxo and Tyhali dead, although the details of each suspect’s alleged involvement will still have to be tested through the criminal justice process.
Police later followed information about another suspect who was allegedly travelling along the N2 at Sibangweni Location in the direction of Tsolo.
At about 23:55, members of the National Intervention Unit arrived in the area. According to the police account, the 35-year-old suspect opened fire on the officers. Police returned fire, and the man was fatally wounded during the confrontation.
A pistol and three rounds of ammunition were recovered, police said. An investigation will determine the full circumstances of the exchange of gunfire and the possible connection between the suspect and the deaths of the two officers.
Further operations led police to two other male suspects who were allegedly linked to the killing of Magoxo and Tyhali. The two men were fatally wounded during separate confrontations with police at Ngolo village in Libode.
Two handguns were recovered from them, according to the police.
The latest developments bring the number of suspects fatally wounded during the operation to three. Police said one AK47 rifle and three handguns had been recovered in connection with the investigation.
The firearms and ammunition will form part of the evidence gathered by investigators. Charges being investigated include the attack on police, attempted murder and the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. An inquest docket is also being investigated in relation to the suspects who died during the confrontations.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate attended the scenes. IPID investigates deaths and other serious incidents involving members of the police, including cases where people are fatally wounded during police operations. Its involvement is intended to ensure that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are independently examined.
The police operation was praised by Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Vuyisile Ncata, who commended the teams involved and said the investigation would continue until all those linked to the officers’ deaths had been held accountable.
“We commend our teams, who have worked tirelessly to ensure this breakthrough,” Ncata said.
He said the arrests and the deaths of the three suspects followed swift, intelligence-driven operations.
“Through swift, intelligence-driven operations, two suspects have been arrested, and three others linked to this crime were fatally wounded during confrontations with police.”
Ncata said the police would continue working on the case and would pursue every remaining person believed to have played a role.
“We will not rest until every remaining role player is held accountable and the full might of the law takes its course,” he said.
The commissioner also extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of Magoxo and Tyhali, whose deaths have left the police service and their communities mourning.
“We send our deepest condolences to their families and colleagues, and we will support them through this difficult time,” Ncata said.
Magoxo and Tyhali were responding to a violent incident when they were killed. Police officers attending a call for assistance are expected to protect members of the public and confront danger, often without knowing what awaits them at the scene.
The attack on the spaza shop operator has added a robbery investigation to the wider case. Police are examining what happened at the shop, how the officers were attacked, how their service pistols were taken and whether the firearms recovered during the operation include the weapons stolen from them.
Those questions will be answered through the investigation, ballistic examinations, witness statements and other evidence. The recovery of firearms does not by itself prove that a particular weapon was used in the officers’ deaths. Investigators will need to establish the origin of each firearm and determine whether it can be linked to the crime scenes.
The two arrested suspects are expected to face the charges brought against them in court. They remain entitled to due process, and any allegations against them must be proven in court.
The deaths of the three suspects during confrontations with police will be examined separately through the relevant investigative processes. IPID’s attendance at the scenes means the circumstances of the shootings will be subject to independent scrutiny.
For now, the operation has produced two arrests, three fatal police confrontations and the recovery of an AK47 rifle, three handguns and ammunition. But the case remains active, with police still searching for any remaining people who may have been involved in the attack.
The families of Magoxo and Tyhali are now waiting for justice while their colleagues return to the difficult work of policing communities in the Eastern Cape. The commissioner’s promise is that the investigation will continue until every remaining role player is brought before the law.
