By Everson Luhanga
- Officer Mashigo Lerutwane was shot while trying to arrest a suspected kidnapper hiding in a hair salon toilet.
- He was denied treatment at Netcare Milpark Hospital due to the City of Johannesburg owing R35 million in unpaid bills.
A Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer, Mashigo Lerutwane, was on duty in Kensington, east of Johannesburg, when he was shot. He and his colleagues were tracking down a kidnapping kingpin in the area who fired shots at him.
When the suspected criminal realised that he was being followed by the police, he ran into a randomly operating hair salon and locked himself in a toilet. The police asked the suspect to open the door, but he defied the officers’ call.
The officers then went to their car to fetch crowbars to forcefully open the toilet door. That was when shots were fired, and Mashigo was struck by the bullet(s).
His colleague and partner rushed him to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, where he was given first aid and stabilised.
When hospital officials at Charlotte Maxeke realised that the man was a police officer in the City of Johannesburg, they transferred him to Netcare Milpark Hospital in Auckland Park.
One of the officer’s friends, who asked not to be named, said officials at Netcare Milpark claimed they couldn’t treat him as the City owed the healthcare company about R35 million.
He said he was then driven back to Charlotte Maxeke’s emergency room. While at Charlotte Maxeke for the second time, he was told the next available surgeon would only be in after seven hours of waiting.
Arrangements were then made at Charlotte Maxeke, and Mashigo was transferred to Alberton, where he has been in an ICU.
From about 4 o’clock when the shooting happened in Kensington, Mashigo was only admitted at the Alberton hospital around midnight.
On Friday morning, the City of Johannesburg released a statement saying it is deeply saddened and distressed by the incident involving the JMPD officer who was injured while on duty.
“We wish to clarify that there have been inaccuracies reported, and we are actively engaging with Netcare Milpark Hospital to resolve the outstanding medical bills.”
The City further said: “We are extremely disappointed to learn that a distressed officer was reportedly turned away from Netcare Milpark Hospital. The health and well-being of our officers, who risk their lives daily to serve our residents, are of utmost importance.
“It is unacceptable that an officer in urgent need of medical attention would be prevented from receiving prompt care,” the statement added.
It also said the City has had several meetings with Milpark Hospital management to discuss engagement processes in line with the relevant legislation. “It is also important to highlight the fact that there are other role players such as the Department of Labour who need to process the injury-on-duty claims.”
The City also said it has taken this matter very seriously and has launched an internal investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding this incident. “We are reviewing our processes and interactions with Netcare to prevent such occurrences in the future. A detailed report outlining our findings and any necessary corrective measures will be shared once the investigation is complete.”
In response, Netcare released a statement. Dr Erich Bock, Managing Director of Netcare’s Hospital Division, said: “Netcare confirms that on the night of 30 April 2025, a JMPD officer received immediate, lifesaving treatment at Netcare Milpark Hospital.”
Dr Bock said the officer underwent comprehensive screening and was stabilised before being transferred to another appropriate facility under the guidance of a leading trauma surgeon.
He added that the officer later underwent a procedure at another Netcare facility, where he continues to receive world-class medical attention.
On the R35 million debt owed by the City of Johannesburg, Netcare said: “We are actively engaged in ongoing discussions with the City of Johannesburg and are hopeful that a swift and equitable resolution will soon be found.”
In the meantime, an internal communication within the JMPD has instructed all officers to use local clinics to access medication should they be injured while on duty.
“Following an incident where our members faced challenges receiving medical treatment due to outstanding City payments to Milpark Hospital/Doctors, we have established an arrangement with Clinix Hospitals (Tshepo Themba, Dr SK Lesedi) for injury-on-duty cases. We recommend utilising this arrangement to ensure timely medical attention.”
Pictured above: Mashigo Lerutwane
Image source: Supplied
