Cop killed, 2 injured as man attacks police in two incidents on Cape Flats

21 July 2019 - 13:45
By Penwell Dlamini
Cop killed, 2 injured as man attacks police in two incidents on Cape Flats.
Image: GALLO IMAGES Cop killed, 2 injured as man attacks police in two incidents on Cape Flats.

A man has been arrested after opening fire on police officers, killing one and injuring two others in Delft, Cape Town.

Police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo said the incident happened in the early hours of Sunday.

“The three constables were on patrol duty when the suspect opened fire on them. One member died instantly after being shot in the head while the second member was wounded above his left eye and the third, in his arm,” said Naidoo.

Shortly after that shooting the man attacked a second police vehicle a street away from the first incident, he said.

Naidoo said in the second attack, police immediately retaliated and shot the man in his left leg and he was subsequently arrested. The man is currently in hospital under police guard.

The officers wounded in the shooting have been hospitalised.

National police commissioner Gen Khehla John Sitole condemned the attacks.

"The attack on our police officers this morning must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all members of society. The efforts by the joint security forces to stabilise the areas of the Western Cape Metropol will continue as planned and we will stop at nothing to ensure that innocent people are and feel safe," said Sitole.

Sitole further implored all communities to support the joint security force deployment by providing information on crime.

The shooting of the officers comes just days after the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed in the province to support police in their efforts to fight gang violence which has escalated.

In a letter to the speaker of parliament Thandi Modise, President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that 1,320 members of the SANDF would be deployed in the province. The deployment started on July 18 and will end on September 16. Ramaphosa informed Modise that the costs attached to the deployment would be about R23m.

Police minister Bheki Cele made the commitment to deploy the army after murders among gangs had reached very high levels. At the beginning of July, at least 13 people were killed in several shootings in Philippi East in just one weekend. The shootings intensified the calls for the army to be deployed in areas which have gang violence.