Police Minister Bheki Cele says more prominent people will soon be arrested in connection with the violence and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
He was speaking at a joint funeral service of two police officers in Ganyesa in the North West. The officers’ charred remains were found at the back of a burnt police bakkie in the area last week. The remains are those of Sergeant Mojalefa Molete and Constable Simon Ntekeletsa.
They disappeared while on a routine patrol in Mareetsane village, where they are based.
Cele attends funeral of slain officers:
Cele said he was satisfied that police were doing their work.
“They have said they have arrested one guy who calls himself Inkinga who seems to be key to police investigations but they are expanding. We expect more prominent people in the political circles to be arrested. Generally, about four thousand people have been arrested and there has been a special arrangement made by the Department of Justice for those people to be taken through the processes of prosecution.”
Police response to looting and violence
Earlier this week, Cele said as investigations continue into the response of police amid the recent unrest, some officers’ actions should be viewed as having performed their constitutional duty to help protect lives.
More than 300 people died in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng during a week of violence and looting. Over 30 detectives have been assigned to investigate the role of law enforcement officers in the unrest in both provinces. Cele admitted that SAPS could have reacted quicker to help stop days of violence and deaths.
“The police are in a state sometimes of fluidity where they need to balance between life and things they do in that particular time. While I am sure out of the 300 people that died, there are investigations going on into how they died. I guess most of those people did not die out of the police actions, one constitutional obligation they have is to protect lives and don’t just willy-nilly kill people.”
