The Limpopo SAPS confirmed that a 37-year-old man who was wanted for several crimes, including robbery and hijacking, apparently shot himself at Muledane village outside Thohoyandou.
The police spokesperson, Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe, said that the police had visited Muledane village on Wednesday, looking for the suspect. "He was cornered inside a rented house where he was hiding. Police introduced themselves and ordered him to open the door. He refused and subsequently a gunshot was heard from inside the house," he said.
When the police entered the house, they found the man lying dead from a gunshot wound and a firearm next to his body.
At the scene the police seized one firearm, 10 live rounds and one magazine. There were also a vehicle engine top, two driver's licenses of other people and one Samsung cell phone. The origin of these goods is still being investigated.
A community member told Limpopo Mirror that the deceased was with his girlfriend when he apparently shot himself. "There was a girl in the room and she was taken by the police," the source, who wished to remain anonymous, said. She went on to say that the "wife" of the deceased left the day before the incident.
The deceased was positively identified as a wanted suspect with an official address in Vleifontein. He is connected to a spate of crimes in and around the Makhado, Hlanganani and Thohoyandou areas.