Africa-Press – South-Africa. DURBAN: Police Minister Bheki Cele believes that police in KwaZulu-Natal are under siege.
Speaking on the tail end of his two day visit to KZN, Cele said four police officers had been gunned down over the past week.
Two officers were killed in a hail of bullets while travelling near Taylor’s Halt, just outside Pietermaritzburg, last weekend. Sergeant Makhosaze Mdlangathi and Sergeant Mfikelwa Mtolo were stationed at the Plessislaer and Richmond police stations.
In a separate incident, Constable Mbuso Nzimela was beaten and stabbed to death. Cele said the Hawks are investigating and no arrests have been made as yet.
In another incident, Constable Royal Mfihloyakhe Ndlovu was shot while responding to a domestic violence case in Chatsworth.
“We can’t have four of our officers in a mortuary and that is treated as normal, whether they are on or off duty, it is clear they are targeted by criminals who are hellbent on terrorising society. It is also very worrying that these attacks occur mostly in KZN and the Western Cape provinces, and we want to appeal to communities to continue to assist police with any information that can help track down these killers and bring them to book,” Cele said.
He also visited a home in Eshowe, where a family of six was gunned down at the weekend. A suspect – a relative – has since been arrested.
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