- Police launched a manhunt after an Eastern Cape magistrate was killed.
- During the drive-by shooting, the magistrate’s husband and her 13-year-old son were shot.
- The Eastern Cape’s acting police commissioner created a task force to track down and arrest the killers.
A female magistrate from Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape was killed while driving with her husband and children in Mbizana on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old woman’s husband is recovering in hospital after suffering serious gunshot wounds to the upper body, and her 13-year-old son also suffered gunshot wounds.
The couple’s 10-year-old son, who was also in the family car, which was sprayed with bullets by assailants driving a white Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie, was unharmed.
Police declined to name the magistrate, saying her family had not yet been notified of the incident.
The Eastern Cape Acting Police Commissioner, Major General Thandiswa Kupiso, has set up a task force of investigators to track down and track down the culprits within 72 hours.
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Police spokesman Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said preliminary investigation revealed that the magistrate was traveling from a local village after dropping off her mother at home.
“As they were driving to the town of Nomlacu, near Faith Mission Church, a white Ford Ranger crew cab pulled up and pretended to overtake their car. The unidentified occupants fired at the vehicle.”
Kina said:
As a result of the shooting, a woman believed to be a Mt Ayliff magistrate allegedly succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained to the upper body, while the husband suffered serious gunshot wounds to the lower and upper body. A 13-year-old son was also injured. A 10-year-old boy survived during the incident.
Kinana said the husband, who was driving the family car at the time, is alleged to have not stopped after the shooting, but instead drove to a nearby hospital.
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The motive for the attack is not known at this time, Kinana said.
“However, the police have registered one murder case and three attempted murder cases for investigation. No arrests have been made at this stage. The investigation is ongoing,” Kinana said.
Anyone with information should contact the nearest police station or call the Crime Stop number: 086 00 10111.
