Officer found guilty of killing undercover cop and his suspect

CITY law enforcement officer Morné Horn, 27, has been convicted of the murders of an undercover police officer and the man the officer was arresting.

Horn shot Constable Thandimfundo Sigcu, 38, while he was in plain clothes arresting a man described by his street name, Bongani Jack, in the Cape Town CBD on a drug-related matter on January 7 last year.

Horn was found guilty of two counts of murder in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.

Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said the investigation by the National Priority Violent Crimes (NPVC) unit of the Hawks successfully proved that Horn murdered Sigcu, who was stationed at the Cape Town Central police station, while he was in civilian clothes arresting a suspect in the Cape Town CBD on a drug-related incident.

Hani said Sigcu was shot in the chest, hand and elbow, and the second man was shot in the head. She said Sigcu died at the scene, while the suspect he was arresting died later in hospital.

“Horns’ bail was extended with additional conditions following his conviction. These include reporting at Brackenfell police station every Friday between 4pm and 9pm. He is expected to be back in court for sentencing on February 24 next year,” she said.

SA Police and Allied Workers Union (Sapawu) president Bonga Makuliwe said that incident, among many others, showed that the City’s law enforcement officers were not fit to patrol the streets.

Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said police management in the province welcomed the conviction of the accused in the Sigcu murder case.

Potelwa said although they realised it would not bring back a life that was lost, it was hoped that the conviction would bring some comfort to the pain suffered by the Sigcu family and his colleagues.