CAPE TOWN – Four suspects are set to appear before the Athlone Magistrates Court tomorrow in connection with the brutal hijacking and murder of Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officer Yonke Pakade, who died after being viciously attacked over the weekend.
The 26-year-old off-duty officer was allegedly hijacked alongside a 30-year-old female colleague in Browns Farm on Saturday evening, 11 October. While the female officer managed to escape unharmed and alert authorities, Pakade was subjected to a savage attack that would ultimately claim his life.
According to JP Smith, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, LEAP officers responded to Sheffield Road on Sunday morning where they discovered Pakade’s abandoned vehicle.
“The 26-year-old was off duty when he was hijacked by a group of suspects. The attackers stabbed him multiple times but also stoned him,” Smith explained. “His colleagues found him in the Marikana Informal Settlement, as he had tried to flee his attackers, but he succumbed to his injuries in hospital.”
Following the discovery, LEAP officers initially arrested one male suspect. This sparked an intensive manhunt involving multiple law enforcement units.
The Safety and Security Information Systems Management (SSIMS) unit, working alongside the Police Organised Crime Unit, LEAP, and the Khayelitsha Tactical Response Unit, launched a coordinated operation to track down the remaining perpetrators.
“The team worked tirelessly and arrested another suspect in Philippi East and recovered a knife believed to be the murder weapon,” Smith said.
Acting on a tip-off, the joint operation team arrested two additional suspects at the Covid Informal Settlement in Mfuleni, bringing the total number of arrests to four.
The four suspects are scheduled to appear in the Athlone Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 14 October, facing charges of murder and hijacking.
Smith has urged the court to oppose any application for bail as the investigation continues, emphasizing the serious nature of the charges and the need to ensure justice for the fallen officer.
Community leader Malibongwe Ntshwaxu praised the swift police response while calling for the harshest possible sentences for the perpetrators.
“Attacking a law enforcement officer is like attacking the state. The suspects deserve a life sentence. They don’t deserve to be outside with the people. They must go straight to Pollsmoor prison,” Ntshwaxu declared.
However, the community leader also challenged law enforcement to apply the same level of resources and dedication to cases involving ordinary citizens.
“It is clear that the officers have resources to fight crime. What the officers did to this officer’s case (Yonke Pakade) can do to other cases of ordinary people,” he appealed.
