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National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, said he was “pleased and encouraged” that SAPS members were operationally ready when they were confronted by gunmen at a base in Mthatha last week.
General Masemola paid a visit to the offices of the National Intervention Unit in the city on Sunday, following a shootout this week that left three people dead.
Among those killed was 42-year-old traditional leader, Sakhumzi Mareke, who police said was a person of interest in several incidents of extortion in the Mthatha area.
Police said officers were returning to their base following a “disruptive operation” in Mthatha West when gunmen in two cars opened fire on the police.
They returned fire, killing three people, while on officer was wounded.
General Masemola said the “mere fact that these criminals, went as far as tailing our members to their base, says to us that we are dealing with criminals who have no regard for the rule of law.” He said when these armed criminals arrived at the NIU offices, they were met with “operationally ready and tactically alert members who acted decisively when the situation called for them to do so”.
He also revealed that just two days later an NIU member “who was targeted at the base on Wednesday” was shot at while on is way to work.
However, General Masemola said due to the officer’s alertness he was not injured, and a suspect, who was later wounded, is under police guard in hospital.
He said September is police safety month during which SAPS raises awareness about police killings, noting that just last week they commemorated the deaths of 30 officers who were killed this past financial year.
General Masemola also noted under-reporting in cases of extortion in the province and called on communities to come forward.
He said the recently introduced extortion hotline received a total of 1180 calls were received, but 688 prank calls, while just 38 related to extortion.
In mid-August SAPS deployed additional members to the Eastern Cape to tackle extortion cases in the province.
