The families of the two police officers, who were gunned down in Kraaifontein near Cape Town over the weekend, have called for harsher sentences for those involved in the murders.
Police Minister Bheki Cele met with bereaved families and conducted oversight visits in the province today. A spate of gang-related shootings over the past few days left six people dead, including two teenagers in Mitchells Plain.
Deadly shootings also occurred in Delft and Khayelitsha, over the weekend.
Sergeant Mnakwazo Mdoko and Constable Mninawa Breakfast were ambushed in Bloekombos and their service pistols were stolen. A family member of one of the deceased, Olwethu Mazaka, says her uncle strived to keep communities safe.
“Our uncle was very young and very brave. We are very hurt. We wish to see the guy who did this to him because he enjoyed going to work. He wanted to keep the community safe. I’m very very hurt.”
Forty five-year-old Mdoko has been described as a pillar of the community.
“My family is worried because he was the provider in this house, he was not like a policeman, he also lived here, he was a resident. He was very helpful to the poor,” says family spokesperson Jacob Mini.
#PoliceMinistry [HAPPENING NOW] The Police Minister gives words of comfort to the grieving family of 46yr-old Sgt Mnakwazo Mdoko who was shot and killed while on patrol in Bloekombos, alongside his partner Sgt Breakfast. Both their firearms and one cellphone was stolen. ME pic.twitter.com/gCbvV602AN
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) March 2, 2021
Police management raised concerns about the alarmingly high levels of serious violent crimes that are driven by the proliferation of illegal firearms. Cele says more arrests are expected in connection with the murders of the two officers.
He says the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces are problematic when it comes to police killings.
“They were just doing their job, they were patrolling, they were just there to make sure that the same communities are safe. There is a trend that is developing around shebeens because they were around shebeens for compliance, people begin to resist and think they can work outside the law.”
A suspect has appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court in connection with the killings. A 32-year-old man from Khayelitsha has been charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
“The robbery includes two firearms, 45 rounds of 9mm bullets and a cellphone. The case has been postponed to 9 March 2021 for bail information and for an attorney of the accused to come on board,” says NPA spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila.
Both officers will be given official funerals.
Six police officers have been gunned down in the country over the past 10 days.
