National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole has condemned the brutal killing of two police officers in one day.
Eastern Cape officer, Lumkile Wiseman Tyibilika, 50, was shot and killed on Tuesday while on duty. He had been stationed at the South African Police (SAPS) Protection Services unit in King Williams Town but was deployed to New Brighton temporarily at the time of his death.
SAPS was dealt another blow later in the evening when Warrant Officer Bhekisigcino Zethembe Khwela, 54, was shot and killed outside his home in KwaNdengezi, KwaZulu-Natal. Khwela was a detective in Marrainhill.
“Last night, just after 7:30pm, Khwela was in the company of his son and a friend chatting outside his house in KwaNdengezi. At least two gunmen, who were on foot, fired several shots at them,” said police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo.
He said the detective was killed instantly after he was shot multiple times. His unnamed son was wounded, while the friend escaped unharmed.
Naidoo said the killings were unrelated.
“The motives for both incidents are not conclusive at this stage but form part of investigations. In both incidents, the 72-hour Activation Plan is being implemented,” he said.
Sitole said the killing of the two officers yesterday was a reflection of what police endure on a daily basis.
"I have instructed the Provincial Commissioners of both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal to mobilise maximum resources to track down those responsible and bring them to book," said Sitole.
The murders come barely three weeks after a 36-year-old constable was killed in an ambush in the Eastern Cape. The officer, who was attached to the Mount Road Detective Unit, was shot and killed as he returned from an assignment.
The attack comes a month after SAPS mourned the 29 officers killed in the line of duty during the 2017/18 financial year.
Anyone with information on these murders is urged to contact the toll free Crime Stop number, 086 00 10111. Callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated with the strictest confidence. – SAnews.gov.za
