By Everson Luhanga
A City Power security guard, Thulani Ngema was disarmed, shot and killed after four criminals ambushed him and his colleagues in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, on Saturday.
The second guard escaped unharmed. Two firearms and ammunition belonging to the guards were stolen from them.
Project manager for Tactical Security Services, Thabang Majaoetsa, which is contracted to City Power to guard the area around the Alexandra River Park Substation, said the cables at the spot Thulani and his colleagues were protecting have been stolen seven times in the past.
He said the company had used guards for the previous seven months to protect cables which run underground next to the main substation in River Park, just off busy London Road.
Majaoetsa, who was also at the crime scene, said four criminals came from different directions and grabbed the other guard. As Thulani tried to run away while his colleague was being disarmed, he was shot. He died on the scene.
The two men were on a day shift when they were attacked. The four criminals ran away from the scene and were spotted driving off in a vehicle which was waiting for them on the other side of the road.
Ward councillor Tefo Raphadu, who visited the crime scene, said such an incident has sent a terrible message to the people of Alexandra, who have been struggling with continuous power cuts.
Raphadu said the community must help officials to protect government infrastructure.
“We know that on several occasions, the township has been plunged into darkness after cables were stolen.
“It is unfortunate that the same community which has been battling with continued and extended power cuts are targeting people who protect the cables,” he said.
He added: “We need the community to come together and identify these criminals, to help the police arrest the suspects.”
Thulani’s colleague, who survived the ordeal, was visibly distraught as police officers and his supervisor took statements from him.
As officials took the statement from him he kept looking at the body of his colleague, who had been sharing laughter and stories with him minutes before. He was seen wiping away tears with his branded security cap.
His supervisor soon instructed one of the guards to take him home to Vosloorus, where he lives.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, said police are on the hunt for four suspects following the murder.
Pictured above: A security guard from Tactical Security Services was disarmed, shot and killed in Alexandra on Saturday.
Image source: Everson Luhanga