A police officer was killed in Vrygrond, Muizenberg, Cape Town.
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Residents of Muizenberg and Vrygrond are demanding increased police resources after a police officer and a scholar transport driver were shot dead in separate incidents on Friday morning.
In the first incident, a 48-year-old police sergeant stationed at Wynberg SAPS was gunned down in front of his home in Thys Witbooi Street, Vrygrond, just before 5am.
He was in uniform and reportedly preparing to leave for duty when he was attacked.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed that the officer sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene.
His family, who were inside the home at the time of the shooting, were unharmed.
Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile condemned the attack and said no effort would be spared in tracking down those responsible.
“An attack on any member of the South African Police Service will be met with the full force of the law. We will not rest until justice is served,” said Patekile.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, has been assigned to lead the investigation. Police have appealed to anyone with information to contact Crime Stop anonymously on 08600 10111.
Two hours after the sergeant was killed, a second fatal shooting occurred in the nearby Xakabantu informal settlement.
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said Muizenberg SAPS officers responded to the scene around 7am, where a male driver was found with multiple gunshot wounds.
“The victim was declared deceased at the scene by medical personnel. The motive behind the attack forms part of an ongoing police investigation. The unknown suspect or suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested,” said Manyana.
No arrests had been made in either case by late Friday.
Vrygrond ward councillor Mandy Marr expressed concern over the escalating violence and called on the provincial government to take urgent action.
“We have a massive problem in Vrygrond, and we need the police to bring resources to us. We are in desperate need. No one is talking about the extortion that is occurring in Vrygrond,” said Marr.
She also criticised what she described as selective urgency in official responses, saying: “It’s devastating that a police officer, one of my residents, is killed, but every life matters. A scholar transport driver was killed, and he is not the first. Now that a police officer has been shot, the province says it will take any means necessary to get to the bottom of this. All people deserve justice.”
The organisation Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA) has also condemned the killings and urged communities to assist police in apprehending the suspects.
FACSA said: “The 48-year-old officer was gunned down outside his home while dressed in uniform and preparing to report for duty. His life was taken in a brutal attack, right outside his family home.”
The group urged the public to come forward with any information that could assist the police, adding that “an attack on SAPS is an attack on our country’s safety and future”.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za