Sgt SC Radebe, 34, was off duty and shot dead by two men who attacked him and fired several shots on 6/15/21 while playing pool with friends in a Cibane tavern while off duty. The Tavern is located on the corner of Sibusiso Mdkane and Maphikelela Roads in Umlazi. Sgt SC Radebe was shot twice at 7:10 p.m and the attackers stole the bag he had. The attackers shot Sgt. Radebe in front of his brother. The two assailants came into the tavern telling everyone not to look as they fired shots and fled the scene on foot. Radebe was rushed in a private vehicle to Prince Mshiyeni Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. He was a KwaZulu-Natal police dog handler who was stationed with the Umlazi K9 Unit. The shooting comes a day after two police dogs K9 Shaka and K9 Simba were shot and killed and a third, K9 Duke injured while their handlers were tracking a gang of cop killers near Pietermaritzburg on 6/14/21. Radebe’s murder follows the shooting and killing of police dogs Simba and Shaka and the injury of Duke near Bishopstowe on Monday. The three, together with their handlers, were tracking the alleged killers of Ndwedwe police station commander Lt-Col Jabulani Ndawonde, 55, in a sugarcane field when they were shot and killed while tackling the suspects. Ndawonde was shot and killed in an ambush in Bhamshela in KwaZulu-Natal last month. During the search for Ndawonde’s killers on Monday three suspects, including those who killed Simba and Shaka and injured Duke, were shot and killed by police.
Three days after the murder of Sgt. Radebe three suspects were arrested. The police team proceeded to Baker Road at W Section in Umlazi where it was reported that the suspects were busy celebrating the death of a policeman. One of the suspects who was resisting arrest pointed a firearm at one of the police officers and was fatally wounded. The suspects, aged between 27 and 38-years-old, were arrested for murder. The vehicle that was used during the murder was also taken to the police pound for further investigation. The woman arrested is a relative of Sgt. Radebe was apprehended at C Section in Umlazi. She was apparently taking revenge after the officer confiscated liquor she was selling without a license. The relative was a well-known school transport operator who owned a Quantum taxi. During lockdown Sgt. Radebe was allegedly among the officers who raided her house and confiscated liquor she was selling illegally during the lockdown.
Siphindile Sithole, who was believed to have masterminded the murder of K9 unit police officer Sergeant Siyabonga Radebe was released on bail. The case was postponed to July 28 for further investigation.
