Policemen shot in court itching to get back to work

Johannesburg - National police commissioner Riah Phiyega says the two policemen shot in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court are doing well.

"I was very encouraged when I visited the members in hospital. They are doing very well thanks to the support they continue to receive," she said in a statement.

Phiyega was humbled when the officers said they could not wait to return to duty. The officers were shot when two awaiting-trial prisoners opened fire in the court on 19 August.

Sergeant Theophilus Mogafe, the court orderly, sustained a slight wound and Constable Eddie Ngobeni was seriously wounded in the head.

Lucky Segwape, 28, and Nthabeleng Matlatfi, 26, were due to appear in court on charges of house robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms. They came out of the holding cells into the courtroom and opened fire.

One of the officers was due to testify in their case. It was unclear how they got the weapons.

The two fled the court and hijacked a car outside.

Later it was discovered that a third man had escaped during the shooting.

Police were still searching for them. A high-level task team was established to find the men.

"We will hunt them down using all resources at our disposal. We will not rest until they are behind bars," said Phiyega.

She said police management were concerned about incidents of police killing.

"It is unfortunate that we still have incidents that lead to the loss of lives amid our hard work to curb police killings."

Police were working hard to stop the killing, she said.