Police Minister Bheki Cele says he is deeply concerned about the increasing number of police officers that are being murdered in the country.
He has identified KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape as the leading provinces in the killing of police officers this year.
Cele made the statement during a visit to the home of the late Acting Station Commander of the Ndwendwe police station, Lieutenant Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde, who was gunned down at Bhamshela, north of Durban earlier this week.
“Sixteen have been killed, it’s a real war against the police that is why we are making this call to say can we all really be up there make a call and be on the side of police not lambast police unnecessary. This province and Western Cape are hostile – 17 in this province have been killed. I am told that three were killed off duty, most are killed on duty.”
VIDEO: No one has been arrested for Ndawonde’s murder:
Great loss
Ndawonde’s brother, Sanele Ndawonde, described his brother’s death as a great loss.
“What we suspect is that his murder is related to his work. He himself knew when he took this job that it was a very dangerous job and we’ve seen on social media people are saying this is just the beginning, so I think it’s people who are against the work that the police are doing. The little that I know is that he used to arrest people, no matter who you are. He would hunt you down and arrest you.”
Sanele says he believes that killings are on the increase in the area.
“Murder has increased in the area; we have seen a lot of incidences in newspapers. Just last week, there were people who were shot and killed just above us, I think it was five people, so it’s these things that are going on in the area. Incidents are increasing just as you’ve seen it happening here in the family. From what I know so far, there are no arrests that have been made but we have hope that there will be an arrest made as the Hawks have taken over the investigation.”
