Traffic chief’s alleged shooter surrenders
The man who is alleged to have shot dead Pietermaritzburg’s chief traffic officer 10 days ago handed himself in to police on Monday.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Mthokozisi Ngobese said: “We can confirm that the suspect handed himself over at the Alexander police station this afternoon.”
Ngobese said the suspect would appear at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. He was accompanied by his attorney when he handed himself in to police.
The man who cannot be named until he has appeared in court is alleged to have shot Senior Superintendent Pumla Dlamini several times at the department’s main office in Washington Road on January 14.
Dlamini died on the operating table at a local hospital as surgeons desperately tried to save him. He was buried in his home town of Durban on Saturday.
Shortly after the shooting, Msunduzi municipal spokeswoman Nqobile Madonda said that a labour issue was believed to have been at the heart of the shooting, but could not provide further details.
She described the alleged shooter as being a junior officer.
The city’s traffic department has during the past two years had numerous problems, with questions being raised about the qualifications of some of the officers. These had led to strikes as well as lengthy suspensions for some officers.
The accused man faces a charge of murder.