Policeman kills eight in gun rampage before being shot dead

A senior policeman went on the rampage in South Africa, killing four colleagues, three women and a baby before being shot dead himself.

Superintendent Chippa Mateane, 42, killed the women and child and critically wounded one other woman yesterday evening. He then drove to the police station in the Johannesburg township of Kagiso where he was based and opened fire on other policemen, said spokeswoman Mary Martins-Engelbrecht.

Mateane fled from the scene in a police car which he later abandoned. He drove to the township of Sebokeng where he shot and critically wounded his brother.

Police killed Mateane early today after an extensive manhunt.

The rampage sent shockwaves through a country which is accustomed to violent crime and left the police force in South Africa’s most populous city in a state of shock.

“There is a lot of disbelief and people are traumatised by what has happened,” said Martins-Engelbrecht.

She said investigators were still trying to find out the relationship between Mateane and the women he killed, and uncover the motives for the killings.

“At the moment we just don’t know,” she said.

South African radio quoted family friends as saying that Mateane had shot his girlfriend, her daughter, granddaughter and two nieces. It said Mateane had been unhappy because of his rocky relationship with his girlfriend.

There was no immediate confirmation. The dead women were aged 24, 30 and 48. The injured woman was 21.

The dead police officers were identified as Senior Superintendent MM Zondo, 42; Captain TD Masipa, 38; Captain JM Sokhela, 42; and Captain Monama.

A South African Press Association reporter who visited the scene said blood-spattered dockets lay strewn around the detective’s offices at the police station.

Two of the police officers had been shot in the head and one in the chest. Their bodies were found under a table with three bullet holes in the walls behind. The fourth victim was outside the office, with a bullet wound to the chest.

SAPA said that police officers and bystanders held their heads in despair, while relatives sobbed.

Martins-Engelbrecht said there were few details on how Mateane himself died.

“All we have is that there was a confrontation between him and police officers after they cornered him in a property in Sebokeng. There was a shooting and he was fatally wounded,” she said.