Johannesburg Police Officer Kills Girlfriend, Her Brother and Himself; South Africans Horrified

• A member of the South African Police Service took his own life after killing his girlfriend
• The incident happened in Soweto while the couple was celebrating the woman's birthday
• South Africans were horrified that he also took the life of his girlfriend's brother before killing himself

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

PROTEA GLEN, SOWETO — A South African Police Service (SAPS) officer killed two people before killing himself at a birthday party on 27 July 2025.

According to Eyewitness News, the captain of a police station hosted a birthday party for his girlfriend at their home. The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear. Community members reportedly saw the police officer produce his firearm and shoot his girlfriend. He also shot her brother, who died on the scene. He then killed himself.

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Similar incidents in South Africa

• A Limpopo police officer was arrested on 10 October 2024 for allegedly killing six family members and cashing in on insurance claims issued against them
• A North West police officer shot and killed two people and wounded a third person before killing himself on 2 November 2024
• A police officer shot and killed his Gauteng Traffic Warden officer girlfriend in Eldorado Park on 26 December 2024
• A Free State police officer went on a shooting spree in May 2025 and killed a tow-truck driver, shot his colleague and a community member, and killed himself

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on Facebook were horrified and discussed what might have caused the incident.

Luyolo Hlasela said:

"It happened that the brother was her boyfriend."

Agreement Baloyi said:

"Being cheated on can be a deeply traumatic experience that shakes a person's emotional foundation. It's not about the betrayal, it's about the psychological aftermath that follows."

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Zoe Roberts said:

"Date a police officer at your own risk."

Anwaar Van Boom said:

"Absolutely no discipline in the force. It's just a circus."

Rose Gill asked:

"Why is it not enforced that firearms are handed in before they go off duty?"

Mathibela Lettiah Mosia said:

"I don't care how desperate for love you might be: do not get involved with persons in law enforcement."

Victor Lakes said:

"Only a toxic affair can end this way. The moment I find out that she is cheating, I simply walk away. No woman is worth my life, certainly not some girlfriend. Never."

Mental health challenges within SAPS

South Africa’s police service is grappling with a growing mental health crisis, with only 621 wellness professionals available to support more than 187,000 officers across the country.

Between 2019 and 2022, the South African Police Service (SAPS) recorded 102 cases of officers taking their own lives within its ranks, along with 38 cases of homicide.

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The five most common mental health issues affecting SAPS members year after year are depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress-related disorders, substance abuse, and attempted suicides. These challenges continue to affect officers on active duty, with a majority of the cases coming from those still in service.

A total of 19,097 psychiatric cases have been reported. Of these, 89% involve officers diagnosed with depression, while 22% are suffering from PTSD. Substance abuse accounts for 5% of cases. Provincial data reveals that the Free State has the highest cases of psychiatric conditions at 14%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 13% and the Northern Cape at 12%.

Johannesburg police officer shoots partner and himself

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a police officer from Johannesburg shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. The police officer was stationed in Parkview.

The officer shot his girlfriend multiple times before turning the gun on himself. She survived the incident and was rushed to the hospital. He died on the scene.

Source: Briefly News