Another three cops killed
JOHANNESBURG: Residents of Soweto have told how they were shaken by the terrifying sound of gunshots cracking loudly through their neighbourhood when a gang of heavily armed men sprayed bullets at police officers yesterday.
The shooting in Dobsonville – the latest in a spate of deadly attacks on the police – left two more officers dead. A woman who lives near the area where yesterday’s shooting took place, said she was shaken by what she thought was a bomb exploding when the sound of heavy gunfire continued for more than three minutes.
The shooting happened at about 3.30pm.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had been to the cinema, but had never heard such a loud noise. “It was scary. I was shaking,” she said, still shaking.
According to witnesses, the gang, some armed with R5 automatic rifles, jumped out of their vehicle before they opened fire at the officers.
The men also fired shots indiscriminately.
“They pulled one of the officers from the car and fired shots at him. They fired shots in different directions. They then took the dockets in the car and fled,” said one witness.
One officer, who was seated inside the vehicle, died at the scene, while another was airlifted to hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said they had launched a hunt for a group of eight suspects who were believed to have fatally wounded the two detectives.
Dlamini said the vehicle that the two officers, a 50-yearold warrant officer and a 40year-old constable, were travelling in had collided with a white Mercedes-Benz as the officers were being chased by two Golf GTIs, red and white, with North West licence plates.
“The suspects then jumped out of their vehicles and started shooting at the detectives, who were stationed at Moroka.
“They then fled the scene,” Dlamini said.
He said the motive for the attack was not known.
And at about the same time yesterday, a police officer committed suicide at his house in Protea Glen. He was the second officer to take his life this week after a Pretoria-based officer killed his wife before turning the gun on himself on Monday – a day after the body of officer Xolani Sowambi was found next to a road in the Eastern Cape after a suspected hijacking. The Hawks have since arrested a 34-year-old man in Queenstown
Meanwhile, Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakhele Malobane-Nkosi has announced that 46 suspects, who have been linked to various police killings between March and September this year in Gauteng, have been arrested.
She said in a media briefing in Joburg yesterday that discussions were taking place with the National Prosecuting Authority to prioritise the police killings, including dedicating “prosecutorial capacity to speed up prosecution”.
From Page 1 On Sunday, President Jacob Zuma expressed concern about the escalating number of police killings while addressing the families of slain officers.
He called on officers to do everything they could to defend themselves when under attack, albeit within the confines of the law.
“Our laws allow the police to fight back decisively when their lives or those of the public are threatened.”
Yesterday, Malobane-Nkosi reiterated Zuma’s views, saying while it was time that officers protected themselves from criminals, “this must be done within the ambits of the law”.
Malobane-Nkosi attributed the escalating number of police killings to illegal firearms in communities.
She said her department was considering negotiation with Police Minister Nathi Nhleko for a gun amnesty, as provided for in the Firearms Control Act.
Deputy provincial commissioner for detectives Vincent Leshabane said a substantial number of guns had been stolen from cops since the beginning of the year.