PRETORIA – Two VIP protection officers attached to the mayor of Madibeng Local Municipality have appeared in court on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice after the shooting of an Air Force sergeant.
Thabang Eugene Sohole (41) and Michael Makampe (42) appeared briefly before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
According to NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the incident occurred on 28 January at approximately 20:00 when Sergeant Michael Swanton and his wife, both members of the South African National Defence Force, were travelling along Eskia Mphahlele Drive towards the R80.
The couple were flagged down by a dark BMW SUV fitted with flashing blue lights and turned onto the R80 towards Mabopane, where they were allegedly forced to pull over on the side of the road.
Mahanjana said Sohole and Makampe exited the BMW, one of them armed with an R5 rifle, and approached the couple’s vehicle. Swanton was seated in the passenger seat whilst his wife was the driver.
“The two allegedly questioned the couple about a missing rear number plate before returning to their vehicle,” Mahanjana said.
Swanton then followed them to check their identification and establish whether they were police officials with lawful authority to stop and question them. As he approached the BMW, he was allegedly shot in the head and died at the scene. The BMW then sped off.
A few hours later, the two accused handed themselves over at the Hercules Police Station, claiming that they were victims of an attempted hijacking and that a shooting had occurred on the R80, according to Mahanjana.
The matter was postponed to 4 February for a formal bail application.
The incident has raised questions about identification procedures and the rules governing VIP protection operations.
The DA has demanded an urgent review of VIP protection policies and called for those responsible to face legal consequences.
Maimane’s office is yet to respond to questions over the incident.
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