JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s police are offering a R300 000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of suspects behind two separate attacks that left three officers dead in just one day.
The latest killings began on Friday, 8 August 2025, when two officers from Florida Police Station were disarmed and shot while escorting awaiting trial prisoner Jabulani Moyo from the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court to prison. The 2023 business robbery suspect fled in their police vehicle, which was later found abandoned several kilometres away.
The victims, Warrant Officer Vuyisile Sintwa (51) and Sergeant Simon Masenye (45), were detectives with the Johannesburg Trio Task Team, a unit tackling house and business robberies as well as car hijackings. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola visited their families on Saturday, calling the murders a direct attack on the state’s authority and rule of law.
That same day, 47-year-old Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni was gunned down in Schoemansdal while responding to a business burglary. Police believe at least 10 suspects were involved in the ambush.
Masemola said six police officers have been killed in attacks and ambushes since 1 April 2025, adding that the country could not remain silent while criminals “declare war” on law enforcement.
The Hawks are leading investigations into both incidents, using witness accounts and CCTV footage from a filling station where the Roodepoort shootings occurred. A multidisciplinary team is also searching for Moyo, with police offering R150 000 for information leading to his capture, and another R150 000 for tips on the Schoemansdal suspects.
Authorities have warned the public not to approach Moyo, describing him as dangerous and without regard for life.
