GEORGE NEWS - Thembalethu was rocked by two deaths in separate incidents over the past weekend. Eden Cluster Commander, Maj-Gen Oswald Reddy, referred to the incidents as "serious" when he addressed the Gender-based Violence and Femicide Summit at the Conville Community Centre on Monday 25 November. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) is investigating both incidents.
Reddy said that in the first incident a police officer from Middelburg allegedly drove to Thembalethu last Friday.
He was looking for his girlfriend who is also a police officer in Middelburg. Earlier they had a disagreement and argument. She allegedly had to flee for her life and came to her sister in Thembalethu.
The policeman found out where she was, and followed her to Thembalethu.
At the sister's house in Zone 8 the policeman and the sister got into an argument after which he shot her in the face. She passed away on the scene.
He fled the scene and a manhunt was launched. The police had a description of his vehicle and on Saturday morning he was seen in Cradock. A chase between him and the police ensued, but before the police could get to him he shot himself.
The family of the deceased woman didn't want to speak to the media.
A man that pulled a knife on the police was shot and killed next to this shack in the backyard of a house in Charlie Bob Street in Zone 9 early Sunday morning.
Police shoots "violent" man
A man was shot and killed after he allegedly tried to attack two policemen in Charlie Bob Street, Zone 9 in Thembalethu on Sunday morning, 24 November.
According to Reddy he died on Sunday morning after warning shots were fired by the police. A woman came to the Thembalethu police station at 05:00 on Sunday morning to ask for protection against her boyfriend, who had assaulted her.
Two policemen accompanied her to where she was staying with the man, so that she could fetch her clothes and personal belongings. When they arrived at the house, the boyfriend allegedly became aggressive and violent.
It is alleged that he started beating the woman in front of the police. When the police tried to intervene he allegedly drew a knife and attacked them. The police shot at the man after warning shots were fired.
Ipid spokesperson Sontaga Seisa told the George Herald on Wednesday that the investigations in both incidents are ongoing. At this stage he can't release the names of the people who died, as permission of the families concerned has not been obtained.
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