Four undocumented Lesotho nationals have been arrested in Stilfontein, North West, in connection with the murder of Free State police officer, Constable Justice Sephooa. Sephooa, a member of the Ficksburg Crime Intelligence Unit, was fatally shot at his home last month.
The suspects were apprehended on 1 February 2025, following a joint operation involving the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, the North West Tactical Response Team, and the National Intervention Unit. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale detailed the arrest, stating: "The suspects were arrested on 1 February 2025, in Stilfontein, North West, after the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation worked together with the North West Tactical Response Team and the National Intervention Unit," She added that the suspects were transferred to Bethlehem and appeared in the Ficksburg Magistrate's Court on charges of murder.
According to Colonel Mogale, on 21 January 2025, two unknown men approached Sephooa's residence. One of the suspects allegedly shot him twice before fleeing the scene. The swift arrest of the four suspects highlights the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies across provincial borders in bringing those responsible to justice.
This incident follows a similar tragedy in the Free State, where two police officers, Constables Sipho Mohapi and Gedione Motloung, stationed at the Namahadi police station in Qwaqwa, were killed while responding to a house robbery complaint on Saturday, 4 January 2025. Three suspects have already been arrested in connection with their murders.
Colonel Mogale provided details of those arrests: "The first suspect, a Lesotho national, 32-year-old Pakiso Lethako, was arrested on 15 January 2025. Meanwhile, Marasane Kabelo Anmony (27), a South African, was arrested on Thursday, 16 January 2025, in Makgalaneng village. He was caught on horseback near the Monontsha Port of Entry in an apparent attempt to escape into neighbouring Lesotho. The suspect was found in possession of a cellphone stolen during the robbery and a firearm suspected to have been used during the murders,"
A 53-year-old man, also implicated in the Mohapi and Motloung murders, was subsequently arrested in Phuthaditjhaba. Colonel Mogale noted: "We won't rule out the possibility of more suspects being arrested."
