Female correctional officer shot dead while walking to work

Limpopo police have launched a manhunt for a suspect who shot dead a female correctional officer on Tuesday morning in Modimolle.

According to police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwada, the incident took place at about 6.30am. The victim was walking along Nelson Mandela Road to the Modimolle Correctional Centre where she worked when she was approached by an unknown man.

“An altercation allegedly broke out and the female victim was shot twice in the upper body. The suspect fled on foot after the incident and remains at large. The motive of the shooting remains unknown,” Ledwaba said.

He said emergency personnel responded to the scene where the female officer was certified dead at the scene.

Ledwaba said authorities have withheld the victim’s identity as part of ongoing investigations.

Limpopo provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe has ordered specialised units to intensify the search for the suspect.