Cabinet has condemned the continued attacks and killings of police officers as not only barbaric – but also a threat to national security.
This follows a recent spate of attacks that saw seven police officers killed in two weeks in KwaZulu-Natal and in the Western Cape.
Addressing the media after this week’s Cabinet meeting, acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said Cabinet had welcomed the arrests of suspects for the 28 February police killings.
“Members of the SAPS and other law-enforcement agencies, including private security companies, put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe; and they also deserve our support and protection,” said the Minister.
“Cabinet welcomed the swift police investigation that led to the arrest of a suspect in connection with the murder of two Western Cape police officers on Sunday, 28 February 2021, who were also robbed of their firearms. All acts of criminality, including murder, will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be hunted down and brought to book,” she said.
Cabinet in its meeting also commended the SAPS action in seizing cocaine with a street value of over R500 million from a fishing vessel on the Saldanha coast last week. The operation was led by detectives from the Organised Crime Narcotics Unit, in collaboration with other SAPS units.
Police urged to exercise restraint
Cabinet is also saddened by the death of a man who was killed during the Wits University student protest in Braamfontein in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Ntshavheni said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate was already conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the death.
“Cabinet urges the police to exercise restraint whilst ensuring public order during protests and never to use live ammunition,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
