One of South Africa’s most senior police officers has survived an assassination attempt in Johannesburg, police said.
Deputy head of criminal intelligence, Major General Feroz Khan, was shot dead while driving home on Sunday evening and has since been rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, according to local media.
The shooting comes just days before Khan is due to appear before a public inquiry set up to investigate criminality within the South African police force.
South African police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said in a statement on Monday that police were investigating.
“It is premature and irresponsible to speculate on a possible motive or to conclude that the incident is related to his scheduled court appearance. [inquiry]” she said.
The inquiry, known as the Madlanga commission, was established after a senior police officer, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, alleged last July that organized crime groups had infiltrated the government.
Khan and two others were arrested last month for alleged illegal trafficking and illegal possession of precious metals.
This stems from an incident in 2021, when a businessman was found with raw gold weighing 75.9g (2.7oz) at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
The businessman claimed he was acting as an undercover agent linked to senior police officers when questioned.
Investigators later discovered that “no authorized undercover operations involving precious metals existed at the time,” but instead Khan and another officer “directed the agents” to release the businessman, prosecutors said in May.
He has not yet commented on the allegations but has been released on bail.
