Police officer gunned down in Limpopo
A 30-year-old on-duty police constable was gunned down by a group of four suspects in Westenburg on Thursday.
Police say Constable Petrus Gerhardus De Lange was on the trail of drug dealers when he was killed.
"A group of suspects in two cars drove up to the vehicle the constable was sitting in. Four men alighted from the vehicles with handguns and opened fire on the policeman,” says police spokesperson Vish Naidoo.
De Lange died on his way to the hospital.
A truck driver was also injured after he was hit by a stray bullet..
This brings the number of police officers who have been killed since April to 42.
National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole has given officers 72 hours to bring the perpetrators to book.
"We have lost 42 police officers at the hands of criminals since the start of this financial year alone.
"The number of our police officers being attacked and killed remains at an unacceptable level despite proactive and reactive interventions,” said Sitole.