Byline: Levhuwani Matumba
24 May 2022
Captain Mishack Mhlanga who was stationed in Evander Police Station met his tragic death on Friday, 20 May 2022 while helping on an accident that happened on N17 road from Bethal side towards Trichardt.
According to the information received by Seskhona Media, Capt Mhlanga together with his station commander and other two colleagues were coming back from the presidential imbizo when they noticed an accident and decided to stop and help.
Capt Mhlanga was controlling the traffic while the station commander and his other colleagues went to check on the people who were involved in the accident before emergency services could arrive.
It is said that a motorist driving a VW Cross Polo was overtaking a bus when she struck Capt Mhlanga.
He was certified dead on the scene by the paramedics.
Speaking to Seskhona Media, Sgt Zuki Mxhotyelwa from Evander Police Station said Captain Mhlanga was a dedicated member who was always willing to assist in every department.
“I worked a lot with him, he was not someone to be pushed to do his work.
When we go out, he always volunteered to be at the forefront.
Sometimes when I am working in Bethal or other areas, I would request him to fetch my children from school and drop them home. He was always willing to assist,” Sgt Mxhotyelwa added.
Mhlanga also spent time with street kids and homeless people trying to understand their problems with the aim of finding ways to assist them.
Mr T.T Mpunga who is a community member at Evander and a CPF member referred to Captain Mhlanga as someone who was always approachable.
“He always tried to let the community know and understand how the SAPS operated.
We were able to communicate with him anytime and he would always assist, even when he was off duty, we knew that he was just a phone call away,” said Mr Mpunga.
Gogo Ethel Makhele also shared her experience of working with Captain Mhlanga way back in 2004 when he was still at Kinross Police Station.
“That time he was still a junior police officer, but his dedication and leadership skills saw him being elected a Chairperson for our Multipurpose Centre.
You know when you talk about Captain Mhlanga, you speak of someone who always went the extra mile when working with the community.
At times we would be expected to attend meetings and he will organize transport for us.”
