Limpopo NPA welcomes sentence handed to police officer convicted of murder

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo has welcomed the 15-year direct imprisonment handed down to a police officer convicted of murder by the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.

Forty-one-year-old Avhahumi Netshikweta, a member of the highway patrol unit, was found guilty of fatally shooting a citizen during a botched operation in 2017.

The court heard that Netshikweta and his colleagues acted on a false tip-off about a drug delivery in Lebowakgomo. 

The victim matching the description was stopped at a traffic light and was ordered to switch off his engine but as he complied, the officer shot him dead.

Although drugs, money and a toy gun were later discovered in the victim’s car, the State proved that Netshikweta had planted the items in an attempt to justify the killing. 

A probe by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) led to his prosecution.

NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi: "Evidence revealed that Netshikweta and his colleagues were following up information about a car carrying drugs. A car resembling the description was spotted at an intersection and the driver was instructed to pull off. In the process, Netshikweta fired a shot to the driver and killed him. The NPA welcomes the sentence."