A 50-year-old John London Molefe was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday by the Springs Regional court for the brutal murder of Warrant Officer Vusimuzi Mahlangu who was stationed at Dunnottar SAPS at the time of his untimely passing.
When the Dunnottar police station was attacked on the night of 8 June 2015, in an incident which saw Warrant Officer Aaron Vusi Mahlangu lying in hospital for over two months after he was shot eight times, the motive of the attack was unknown but it later emerged that aim of the suspects was to get access to the safe and steal firearms.
A then 30-year-old police constable, Mpho Matsoso stationed at the Dunnottar police station just outside Springs in Gauteng was arrested by the Hawks for allegedly conspiring with suspects to rob the same station of its firearms. A month later three suspects, Mduduzi Jali (49), Prince Mnisi- Thobe Zondozi (38), and John Molefe (45), also known as London were arrested in Kwa-Thema. With the suspects confessing that they were assured by the arrested constable that only one female Sergeant would be working at the Community Service Centre and that he would be on duty but patrolling outside, the suspects stormed the station and were puzzled to find Warrant Officer Mahlangu and another constable behind the CSC desk.
The suspects started shooting, injuring Warrant Officer Mahlangu while the other member escaped unharmed. The brave Warrant Officer Mahlangu shot back until the suspects fled. The arrested constable fooled everyone by rushing back to the station and opened the case docket. The suspects confessed that they had planned to use the firearms to commit armed robbery in Mpumalanga.