Overview
- Thabang Eugene Sohole, 41, and Michael Makampe, 42, who serve on Madibeng mayor Douglas Maimane’s VIP detail, were released on R20,000 bail each.
- The victim was identified as South African Air Force Sergeant Michael Swanton, 36, who was shot in the head and died at the scene.
- Prosecutors say a dark BMW with flashing blue lights stopped Swanton and his wife on Eskia Mphahlele Drive toward the R80, questioned them about a missing rear number plate, and Swanton was shot as he approached the BMW to verify their authority.
- The accused face charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice, and operating a vehicle fitted with unauthorized blue identification lamps on a public road.
- Hours after the shooting, the pair surrendered at Hercules Police Station claiming they had faced an attempted hijacking, and the case was postponed to 9 April for further investigation in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court.