Killer cop was given gun despite assault charge

KILLER cop Ronnie Masie tried to kill his girlfriend’s family. Then he tried to kill officers from Alexandra police station who had been called to the scene. Masie was charged only with assault and his service firearm taken away.

However, two weeks later, on Wednesday this week, he asked colleagues at Alexandra police station for another gun. Hours later, four people lay dead at the police station, shot by Masie.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is now probing why he was given the gun.

Masie, 32, a court orderly at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, was given the firearm in spite of the assault charge.

He claimed he needed to be armed because he was transporting prisoners to court.

On Wednesday afternoon, Masie stormed into the Alexandra police station — the same station where he had booked out the gun — and shot his girlfriend, Sowela Nkula, who was there to lay a domestic violence complaint against him.

With her was neighbour Stephina Semenya, 52, and Nkula’s 39-year-old uncle, Mathews Mabayi.

Masie also shot them before shooting Major Thomas Moetlo, who was taking down Nkula’s statement.

Masie tried to shoot two other police officers but missed and fled.

Police tracked him to his house in West Bank, Alexandra, where he was killed during a shoot-out.

Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said the matter was under investigation, in particular how Masie had managed to book out the gun given that he had been facing charges.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini could not provide details of the first incident or why Masie was only facing assault charges, instead saying an inquest docket had been opened.

‘‘The case will be sent to the director of public prosecutions for a decision,” said Lungelo Dlamini.

On Friday, Moetlo’s family said the career policeman and father of five had been planning to retire from the police force when he was killed.

His brother, Patrick Moetlo, said he was a dedicated officer.

“The only information we got was that he was shot in the chest and died at the scene.

“We are still not sure of the status of the investigation. His wife and children are trauma- tised by this. We have a lot of questions about what happened,” said Patrick.

On Friday, police officers at the station refused to comment.

But one policeman, who did not want to be named, said all the officers were still shocked.

“Both of them were our colleagues. We cannot judge what the other one [Masie] did . . . we are all traumatised by this.”

Patrick said his brother was a role model back home in Limpopo. “A lot of people joined the police because of him. He . . . encouraged them to join. He was the oldest brother of five siblings and put us all through school,” he said.