Nine police officers have been arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate for the alleged murder of three civilians and a colleague during a 2024 incident in Phahameng township, Bultfontein.
Image: File
Nine police officers have been arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in connection with the alleged murder of three civilians and a fellow officer, Constable Mojalefa Borole, following an incident in Bultfontein in the Free State.
The arrests, carried out on Saturday, relate to an incident that took place on September 22, 2024, in Phahameng township.
The officers, attached to the Bultfontein Public Order Police Unit, are facing four counts of murder.
IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said Public Order Police members had responded to “a call of a domestic dispute in Phahameng township, Bultfontein in the Free State, where family members were allegedly involved in a fight.”
He said it was further alleged that “as police officers tried to apprehend them, they locked themselves inside the house and barricaded all access points into the house.”
Shuping added that “the police officers allegedly executed tactical entry into the house during which they discharged their firearms,” resulting in the deaths of three civilians and one police officer at the scene.
He said “43 empty cartridge cases were collected from the crime scene,” and that IPID’s investigation revealed that “all the deceased, the three civilians, all members of one family and one officer died from gunshot injuries.”
The nine officers, who hold the ranks of constable and sergeant, are currently detained at the Welkom holding cells.
Shuping said they are expected to appear before the Bultfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 13 April 2026.
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