A social media post selling livestock was used to lure an off-duty police officer to Winterveld, Tshwane, where he was robbed of his service pistol which was later used to kill five-year-old Ditebogo Junior Phalane in his home five months later.
This emerged on Tuesday during the bail application of Elia Maeko – one of the three men charged with Ditebogo's murder in May 2024 during his father's hijacking in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria.
Testifying at the Pretoria North magistrate's court, investigating officer Sgt Mashudu Sevhasa said that the gun was stolen from an off-duty officer in December 2023.
The officer had responded to a Facebook Marketplace advert for livestock when he went to meet the seller, said Gauteng police spokesperson Col Mavela Masondo.
"He arranged to meet the seller at Winterveld in Tshwane. As he arrived at the agreed meeting spot, he was attacked by the suspects who robbed him of his service pistol, cellphone and cash. Police opened a case of armed robbery, but no arrests have been made yet," Masondo said.
At the scene we found a gun cartridge and a piece of the bullet in Junior’s wound. We took both to forensics and we found it is the same gun that was robbed from a police officer.
— Col Mavela Masondo
Mashudu told the court how they were able to link the officer's gun to Ditebogo's murder.
“At the scene we found a gun cartridge and a piece of the bullet in Junior’s wound. We took both to forensics and we found it is the same gun that was robbed from a police officer. The gun is also linked to several cases of hijackings in Soshanguve, Alaska, GaRankuwa and Rustenburg," said Sevhasa.
Days after Ditebogo's shooting, Maeko, Ali Sithole and Nido Gumbo were arrested and charged with his murder.
In September, minister of police Senzo Mchunu revealed in a parliamentary question by Rise Mzansi's Makashule Gana that 371 firearms were recorded as lost or stolen from police officers between October 1 2023 and March 31 2024.
Gauteng recorded the most stolen guns at 112. Only nine firearms were lost.
Sevhasa also told the court that three days before Ditebogo's murder, the trio had hijacked a Nissan bakkie and also tried to hijack another vehicle the same day. However, they fled empty-handed after the driver shot at them.
"There was a shootout that happened, and the victim had a gun. The incident happened just before 10pm," he said.
Sevhasa said they had linked the three incidents through cartridges that were found at the scene and tested against the guns that were found in the suspects' possession during their arrests.
Speaking outside court, Gift Makoti, the family spokesperson, said the accused are a danger to society.
"It is mentioned a couple of times that the accused are linked to several cases. Clearly, they are seasoned criminals, so I don't think they should be granted bail.
"Four days from today it will be exactly one year since Junior was killed, and we are still distraught as a family and as we come here to hear details of what happened... it sends chills down our spine," he said.
Police have confiscated more than 1,800 illegal firearms through Operation Shanela from January to May 5. According to Gun Free SA's research and policy analyst Claire Taylor, last year police recovered 5,469 stolen guns – an average of 456 guns a month.
However, it is easy to acquire guns, Taylor said.
“What’s particularly concerning is the growing pool of legal guns from which illegal weapons are diverted. Additionally, fraud and corruption in the licensing system allow individuals and companies, as we’ve seen with some private security firms, to access guns illegally. This highlights the importance of closing loopholes that facilitate fraud and corruption in the licensing process.” – Additional reporting by Jeanette Chabalala.
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