In a tragic incident that has left a family shattered and a community in mourning, a Soweto police officer stands accused of murdering the very man who tried to defend him from a violent crowd, only minutes after the intervention.
The chain of events began at a tavern in Pimville Zone 3 on September 21, when Officer Tshepiso Malepane of the Dobsonville police station allegedly assaulted a young girl. The act sparked immediate outrage among patrons, who turned on him. Witnesses say that in the heat of the confrontation, 27-year-old Lebo Sekhute stepped in as a peacemaker, pleading with the crowd to stop and even apologizing to the girl’s mother on the officer’s behalf.
“Lebo was begging people not to fight him,” one eyewitness recounted.
In a devastating twist, the act of kindness may have cost Sekhute his life. According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), after the initial confrontation, Malepane and Sekhute left the scene together. Malepane allegedly returned to his nearby home to retrieve his service pistol while Sekhute waited in the car.
“When he came back, Lebo tried to stop him from going back into the tavern with the gun,” another witness recalled. It was then, officials allege, that Malepane turned his weapon on the man who had moments earlier been his defender.
The witness account is harrowing: “But instead, he dragged Lebo out of the car and shot him in the head, neck and chest… Then he sat next to him and placed the gun in Lebo’s hand.”
The tavern owner, haunted by the event, said, “He killed him like a dog. I keep thinking this boy died because he was trying to protect us.”
For Sekhute’s family, the loss is compounded by cruel irony and unfinished business. His mother, Basetsana, described her son as a humble and loving young man who was “the glue of this family.” His brother, Ramantai, revealed a painful final memory—a petty argument on Saturday—and shared that Lebo was due for a promising job interview on the Monday after he was killed.
“When he didn’t come back, we tried calling, but his phone didn’t go through,” Ramantai said. “It was only on Tuesday that we found out it was him who had been shot by a cop.”
Officer Tshepiso Malepane has been arrested and remains in custody. His next court appearance is set for October 1, as a community and a grieving family wait for justice for a man who died trying to keep the peace.
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