'Life for cop killers'

A Shocking 57 of Mzansi’s men and women in blue have been killed in a space of just one year, many of them while on duty.

Arresting cop killers and taking them to court takes time.

And success is not guaranteed, but at least two cop killers were sent to rot in prison yesterday.

They were sentenced to four life terms and more than 100 years each following hard work by a police team led by top detective, Captain Amos Maneta.

Maneta is no stranger to dealing with major cases.

His successes in getting lawbreakers behind bars has been reported by Daily Sun over the years.

Provincial police spokesman, Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, said the men shot and killed two cops in August 2012 after they had responded to a hijacking in Sonland Park in Vereeniging in the Vaal, south of Joburg.

A man and his brother were leaving his house in the evening when a white Hyundai Elantra stopped and blocked their way.

Three men got out, held them at gunpoint and demanded their car keys. One of the victims ran towards a passing police van, but the hijackers shot him in the leg.

They then opened fire on the police officers as they got out of their van.

Acting Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Eric Nkuna welcomed the sentencing of Eric Bango and Thokozani Mazibuko.

Both accused were convicted on 12 counts including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm without a licence and possession of ammunition.

A third accused, Nhlanhla Malope, was found in possession of a firearm he had stolen from a police officer at the scene. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The dead police officers were Warrant Officer Thomas Moagi and Constable Daniel Tshakela.

The killers had taken the two cops’ firearms – two pistols and an R5 rifle – and they used the police van to flee from the scene before they hijacked a Toyota Tazz.

Maneta and his team were able to recover all the stolen firearms when they arrested the suspects.