Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
24 January 2023
An off-duty employee of a company contracted by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison who was later identified by his family as Mr Silvester Samkelo Nkosi (34) was shot to death and robbed of his white VW Golf 7 as well as his service pistol.
The terrible occurrence is said to have taken place on Monday, 23 January 2023 in the late evening at the Water reservoir (2010 Soccer Ball) in Steiltes, Nelspruit.
The young man was discovered in a pool of blood when police in Nelspruit responded to a call regarding a gunshot incident at the mentioned location that fateful night at 19:30.
He was tragically pronounced dead by the medical personnel who responded to the site, and the police are now looking into a murder case with additional counts of robbery and carjacking.
Though no one has been detained as of yet, early evidence suggests that the young man and a female friend were there when two armed suspects preyed on them.
According to reports, the female friend was unharmed throughout the event, and she ran to the closest petrol station to call for assistance while the suspects escaped with the victim’s car and service weapon.
Police calls on anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects or the vehicle to contact Detective Branch Commander in Nelspruit SAPS, Detective Colonel Donald Mkhaliphi on 079 230 3126 or call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111.
Alternatively members of the public can send information via MYSAPSAPP. All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
A manhunt for the suspects has since been launched and a team of experts in the field of investigation has been assembled under the leadership of the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela who strongly condemned the incident and vowed that the perpetrators will not find peace until they are all locked up.
“It is well-known that in this province we do not blink an eye whenever crime is committed.
There will be no difference on this case and they better hand themselves over to the authorities before we get to them”, said the General.
