BLOEMFONTEIN – A man has been sentenced to an effective 40 years in prison for shooting a police officer, stealing his service pistol and attempting to hijack a motorist, police said on Friday 24 April.
Mpho Petrus Mankhadi (41) was sentenced by the Bloemfontein Regional Court following a series of violent incidents that began on 6 August 2024.
Around 06:10 that day, a police sergeant had just finished his shift when he was approached by Mankhadi at a spaza shop in Maokeng near Kroonstad.
After a verbal altercation, Mankhadi disarmed the officer of his service pistol and shot him in the hand before fleeing with the firearm.
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Spree continues
Later that day, Mankhadi secured a lift from a driver of a white Renault Triber travelling from Klerksdorp to Bloemfontein.
After manipulating the driver into taking him to various locations, Mankhadi produced a firearm near George Lubbe Road in Hamilton, Bloemfontein, and attempted to tie the driver’s hands with a cellphone charger.
The victim managed to escape and seek help at the Mangaung Police Station.
Intense investigation
Mankhadi’s run from the law ended a day later on 7 August 2024, when Colesberg police responded to a vehicle accident on the Petrusville Road. He was found alone in the wreckage of the hijacked Renault Triber and seriously injured.
Police recovered a firearm from the vehicle that was positively linked to the robbery of the sergeant in Maokeng.
Through investigative work and successful identity parades, the suspect was linked to all three cases in Maokeng and Bloemfontein.
The court found Mankhadi guilty on all counts and sentenced him to 20 years for the hijacking, 20 years for possession of ammunition and 15 years for illegal possession of a firearm. The court ordered that the effective sentence be 40 years.
Major-General Apaphia Modise, deputy provincial commissioner for crime detection in the Free State, commended the work of Sergeant Motaung and the prosecution team.
“The collaboration between the Colesberg, Mangaung and Maokeng stations highlights the efficiency of our integrated approach to crime fighting,” Modise said.
