A memorial service for metro police officer Sibusiso Zikalala was held in Joburg by his fellow officers and family on June 28. Zikalala was shot and killed by a SAPS member in a video that went viral. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
A police officer who allegedly shot dead a Joburg Metro Police officer outside a Braamfontein nightclub in June over a suspected love triangle, has been arrested by the police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Ipid investigators arrested Constable Bongimpilo Nzuzu Bengu, 28, on Tuesday.
Bengu is based at the visible policing unit at the Parkview police station.
He was charged with murder for the fatal shooting of JMPD officer Sibusiso Zikalala, whom he had become embroiled in an argument with, leading to Zikalala being shot dead in front of his wife.
The two officers were both off-duty when an altercation took place outside a nightclub on Juta Street in Braamfontein.
He is believed to be a former lover of Zikalala’s wife, and it is alleged Bengu and his friends had blocked his way when he tried to drive off.
Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said Bengu was charged with murder and granted R5,000 bail in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court.
The proceedings are remanded to January 25, 2024, for further investigation.
In a video of the incident, which went viral on social media at the time, the deceased could be seen brandishing a gun and calling on the alleged shooter to get out of his car.
Zikalala could be seen in the video attempting to assault Bengu and trying to remove him from the driver's seat.
Seconds later, gunshots go off, allegedly from the car, and Zikalala is seen lying on the ground with a bloody chest.
In a report by The Star, the alleged shooter said: "The JMPD wanted to shoot me outside of the vehicle; he kept on saying I should come outside of the car. I tried avoiding him, but he kept on saying, 'Come out, come out.'
“I could see that if I drive away, he will shoot me; he just wanted me out. The only option I had was to shoot and make sure I paralysed him.
“If I shot him in the hand, he was going to shoot back. I needed to paralyse him. Unfortunately, I am using a lethal weapon; he passed on. But he asked for it; JMPD asked for it," said the SAPS officer.
Zikalala was buried at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
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