Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, has condemned the shooting and attack of six Anti-Gang Unit members in Nyanga, Cape Town, early this morning.
“Attacking members of the South African Police Service is an attack on the state, [the] safety of our men and women in blue remains high on the agenda of the SAPS and is at the heart of the SAPS’s strategic imperatives to ensure the safety of our members,” said Cele in a statement.
The Police Ministry said the Anti-Gang Unit members had just apprehended one suspect who led them to another when the incident occurred. Police Ministry spokesperson Reneilwe Serero said the suspects were sought for serious crimes.
“The area is difficult to access with a terrain that is poorly lit and shacks are erected close to each other,” she said.
Two of the six attacked AGU members are in a critical condition and four others are receiving medical attention.
The South African Police Service Management has issued a 72-hour activation plan and has wished a speedy recovery to the six Anti-Gang Unit members.
Minister Cele is expected to visit the hospitalised AGU member and the crime scene today.
The Anti-Gang Unit is a national approach to curbing gangsterism and drugs in areas considered to be gang hotspots.
Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the unit last year, hundreds of gang-related arrests have been made by the elite unit. – SAnews.gov.za
