Family members of the late police officer who also provided close protection to the Deputy Minister of Police, say they have not been able to identify his body.
41-year-old Warrant Officer Lindela Mraqisa was among a group of five people gunned down in Gugulethu on the Cape Flats at the weekend.
Mraqisa was attached to the Western Cape’s Protection Security Services and has served as a close protector to Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale, since 2019.
It is alleged that Mraqisa and four others were sitting in two cars in Gugulethu on Saturday night following a family function when gunmen opened fire on them.
His family says they have not been able to identify his body at the mortuary because his belongings including his identity document, are missing.
Family spokesperson Mthobeli Mraqisa says the investigating officer had not yet met with the family.
“The problem is that Lindela doesn’t have his ID with him, that is the reason why we can’t identify his body. I tried all measures to identify his body, but I could not because the forensics want his original ID,” says Mthobeli.
Police Minister Bheki Cele, National Commissioner Fannie Masemola and the province’s police top brass visited the family earlier. Mraqisa is one of two police officers who were killed in Cape Town within a week. This is also the second mass shooting in Gugulethu in two weeks.
Cele says the shootings are being investigated.
“We saw the team that is dealing with these matters, but this afternoon we have another meeting dealing with those teams to say we must do better when it comes to these killings,” says Cele.
The body of 29-year-old Constable Asavela Mathe was found in Mfuleni on Sunday morning. She was attached to the Samora Machel police station.
“The circumstances of her death are a mystery and quite painful. We can say one person has been picked up, has been arrested but we will find out what happened because she went there with a colleague so she will be able to tell us what really happened,” he adds.
VIDEO: Police Minister Bheki Cele mourns the loss of 31 officers in recent months
