Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cape Town – The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) says there are targeted killings of police officers and not much is being done about it.
This comes as another police officer, Sergeant Mphakameli Mazinywana, from the Mthatha Central Detectives unit in the Eastern Cape, was murdered at his home on Friday.
According to Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo, Mazinywana and his wife were apparently woken up by their barking dogs. They were confronted by two suspects who had broken the door to gain entry. They were wielding pistols.
“These suspects apparently demanded the state firearm from Sergeant Mazinywana. When he hesitated, they started shooting him, searched for the firearm and took it. They shot him once more before fleeing the scene.
“Six cartridges and three projectiles were collected from the scene and fingerprints were detected.”
Mamabolo said the country has lost over 30 police officers since the beginning of the year.
“There are targeted killings of police officers. Not much is being done about it, leaving many angry and vulnerable. They consider themselves to be neglected victims, that the authorities do not care about their safety and security and fail to do anything concrete about the situation.
“In their view, the overall perception is that the SAPS appears to be reluctant to do anything. Many of our officers are killed on and off duty due to the kinds of cases they are handling and their firearms. There is a lack of respect in the community for police and poor levels of trust and co-operation between the two.
“Popcru calls for an urgent dialogue in linking the causal factors of this onslaught, and possible remedies,” Mamabolo said.
Popcru has urged members of the community to provide any details that could lead to the arrest of these suspects.
National police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili told Independent Media Eastern Cape police are still verifying some facts before issuing an official statement.
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Political Bureau
