WHILE residents of Inanda in northern Durban celebrated the killing of seven gang members by the police tactical response team at the weekend, a KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor has described the incident as "worrying".
"In my view this unit must be disbanded," Mary de Haas said. "Currently there is a man in hiding after he opened a case against them for constant abuse."
"People have been complaining that the unit just shot and assaulted people. And that is not crime prevention."
Police ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi condemned incidents of police brutality.
He said the unit had helped reduce serious crimes, particularly cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies, which had been escalating.
The TRT was formed by suspended police commissioner, General Bheki Cele, to deal with hardcore and violent criminals in the country.
Soon after its introduction people started complaining about the unit's violent approach. There have been complaints in which the unit, commonly known as abafana amaberete - beret boys, is accused of taking the law into its own hands and assaulting suspects.
The deceased were gang members linked to a number of crimes in the province who went on a shooting spree after drinking at the local Gcina tavern.
They killed four patrons in cold blood in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The gang was cornered by TRT members and the Inanda crime prevention unit in a rented house they used as a hide-out in Amaoti -Namibia section.
The seven people who occupied the house were shot and killed after refusing to open up for the police and allegedly started firing at them with AK-47s.
Nokwazi Majozi of Inanda said: "These men had been terrorising us for years. We would be idiots to complain when they are now dead. We have relatives who are in the cemeteries because of criminals here," she said.
Ntobeko Sibiya, who survived the shooting in the tavern, said: "We have lost friends and family members at the hands of the criminals. And people who have never suffered any humiliation from these criminals talk of disbandment of the TRT. Which people should die?"
De Haas said good policing was crime prevention, intelligence gathering and public order policing.
"We need good detectives, not people who go around knocking at the door and assaulting and killing people," she said.
"I know the TRT is not the only one that abuses people but their action cannot go unnoticed."
The Independent Complaints Directorate is investigating the killing of more than 45 people by police.
Meanwhile, in another section of Inanda a man being chased by police for a robbery was killed at the river when he allegedly opened fire at them while trying to escape.
Massacre of gang members 'worrying'
WHILE residents of Inanda in northern Durban celebrated the killing of seven gang members by the police tactical response team at the weekend, a KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor has described the incident as "worrying".
"In my view this unit must be disbanded," Mary de Haas said. "Currently there is a man in hiding after he opened a case against them for constant abuse."
"People have been complaining that the unit just shot and assaulted people. And that is not crime prevention."
Police ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi condemned incidents of police brutality.
He said the unit had helped reduce serious crimes, particularly cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies, which had been escalating.
The TRT was formed by suspended police commissioner, General Bheki Cele, to deal with hardcore and violent criminals in the country.
Soon after its introduction people started complaining about the unit's violent approach. There have been complaints in which the unit, commonly known as abafana amaberete - beret boys, is accused of taking the law into its own hands and assaulting suspects.
The deceased were gang members linked to a number of crimes in the province who went on a shooting spree after drinking at the local Gcina tavern.
They killed four patrons in cold blood in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The gang was cornered by TRT members and the Inanda crime prevention unit in a rented house they used as a hide-out in Amaoti -Namibia section.
The seven people who occupied the house were shot and killed after refusing to open up for the police and allegedly started firing at them with AK-47s.
Nokwazi Majozi of Inanda said: "These men had been terrorising us for years. We would be idiots to complain when they are now dead. We have relatives who are in the cemeteries because of criminals here," she said.
Ntobeko Sibiya, who survived the shooting in the tavern, said: "We have lost friends and family members at the hands of the criminals. And people who have never suffered any humiliation from these criminals talk of disbandment of the TRT. Which people should die?"
De Haas said good policing was crime prevention, intelligence gathering and public order policing.
"We need good detectives, not people who go around knocking at the door and assaulting and killing people," she said.
"I know the TRT is not the only one that abuses people but their action cannot go unnoticed."
The Independent Complaints Directorate is investigating the killing of more than 45 people by police.
Meanwhile, in another section of Inanda a man being chased by police for a robbery was killed at the river when he allegedly opened fire at them while trying to escape.
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