Police have launched a manhunt for those responsible for robbing the Transport Minister, Sindiswa Chikunga, and two of her bodyguards on the N3 highway between Vosloorus and Heidelberg.
The incident happened on Monday. The national police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says personal belongings and two service pistols were stolen.
“A manhunt has since been launched following this unprecedented incident to bring to book those responsible for this attack. The SAPS is committed to executing its mandate of protecting the executive of the country and the community at large. VIP protection is one of the key priority areas for the SAPS and has been undertaken with excellence over the years. We endeavor to continue to serve and protect while observing all aspects of our VIP protection protocols.
#sapsHQ Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a robbery incident that took place on 06 November 2023, on the N3 between Vosloorus and Heidelberg. Personal belongings and two SAPS service pistols were stolen during the incident. #CrimeStop #MySAPSApp ML… pic.twitter.com/mvQA4ytIoQ
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) November 7, 2023
Speaking at the POPCRU national congress in Durban, Police Minister Bheki Cele says the incident took place at 4 o’clock in the morning, as the minister was travelling from KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng.
Meanwhile, Cele has told the POPCRU national congress that the 30 000 recruits being taken in between 2022 and 2024 will not solve the police’s staff shortages, due to an exodus of experienced officers.
“The figure that we’ll have will be 2010 figure amapoyiseni, not 2023. 2010 you had 195 000 in the whole organisation, now, we have 187 000. South Africans were 50 million then, now they are 62 million. So the ratio has moved from 1 to 222 to 1 to 420.”
