Lumka Mahanjana
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Gauteng Division Pretoria photo by Dimakatso Modipa
By Lumka Mahanjana
NPA Regional Spokesperson
The Pretoria Magistrates’ court has granted R20 000 bail each to two VIP Protection Officers assigned to the Madibeng Local Municipality Mayor, Thabang Eugene Sohole (41) and Michael Makampe (42).
They are facing charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice and operating a vehicle with blue identification lamps on an unauthorised vehicle on a public road.
It is alleged that on 28 January 2026 at approximately 20h00, the deceased and his wife, both members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), were travelling along Eskia Mphahlele Drive towards the R80 when they were flagged down by a dark BMW SUV fitted with flashing blue lights.
The couple then turned onto the R80 towards Mabopane, where they were allegedly forced to pull over on the side of the road.
It is alleged that Sohole and Makampe exited the BMW, one of them armed with an R5 rifle, and approached the couple’s vehicle.
The deceased was seated in the passenger seat, while his wife was the driver.
The two allegedly questioned the couple about a missing rear number plate before returning to their vehicle.
The deceased then followed them to check their identification and establish whether they were police officials with lawful authority to stop and question them.
As he approached the BMW, he was allegedly shot in the head and died at the scene.
A few hours later, the two accused handed themselves over at the Hercules Police Station, claiming that they were victims of an attempted hijacking and that a shooting had occurred on the R80.
In court the state prosecutor, Chris Maruma opposed their release on bail because the two might try to influence the state witnesses and might interfere with investigations.
However, magistrate Mphahlele found that exceptional circumstances existed warranting the accused person’s release on bail.
Furthermore, he ordered that the two should not contact directly or indirectly the state witnesses
The matter was postponed to 09 April 2026 for further investigations.
Tshwane Talks readers have been able to read stories in this publication for free for over two years now. We still want our readers to access our stories for free, but we are asking those among our readers who can afford it to contribute at least R30 a month to cover some of the costs of publishing this independent, non-aligned online newspaper which gives a voice to all sectors of society irrespective of race, colour, creed, religion, or political affiliation. You may make your contribution by depositing at least R30 a month into Tshwane Talks' bank account. Details are as follows:
Bank Details
Bank: Standard Bank
Account Number: 10225548834
Account Type: Cheque Account