January 15, 2003
By Thomas Thale
FOUR more suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Johannes "JJ" Pretorius, a Metro Police officer, who was gunned down on Sunday morning while responding to a call.
This brings the total number of suspects arrested in connection with the case to five.
Two of the suspects were arrested in Eldorado Park just after midnight and the other two were apprehended in Ennerdale, in the early hours of this morning.
Pretorius was gunned down on Sunday morning after responding to a call of a burglary in progress in the suburb of Westdene. One suspect was arrested on the scene.
On Monday, Chris Ngcobo, chief of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), vowed that the metro police would not rest until all the suspects had been brought to book.
The arrests were carried out by members of the JMPD, who have been working on the case around the clock with the assistance of the South African Police Services.
"Although our core functions as the JMPD are to enforce by-laws, police traffic and prevent crime, we also have the power to investigate cases like the SAPS," explained Wayne Minnaar, spokesman of the JMPD
Minnaar said the suspects face charges of murder and burglary and will appear in court soon.
A memorial service for Officer Pretorius will be held at the headquarters of the JMPD on Thursday at 2pm. The funeral service has been scheduled for Friday 10am at the NG Kerk in Greymont.
