Police top brass will on Thursday visit the families of the slain police officers who were killed in a horror attack at the Engcobo Police Station in the Eastern Cape.
Police spokesperson, Captain Khaya Tonjeni said a high calibre task team made up of detectives, the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and the police’s TRT unit had been assembled to track down the suspects involved in Wednesday's attack.
“They never slept but [are] hot on the heels of perpetrators. They were busy analysing the evidence collected from the scene and using it to comb for clues that could assist the search for the perpetrators,” said Tonjeni.
Tonjeni said police were hoping for a breakthrough and waited anxiously for an arrest.
“On the service delivery front we are also working on normalising the situation at the police station so that it continues to offer quality service to Engcobo community,” he said.
During a visit on Wednesday, Police Minister Fikile Mbalula encouraged the team to leave no stone unturned in the search for the suspects.
Mbalula offered his condolences to family members of the police officers and promised that the fallen heroes would be given official state funerals as they lost their lives in the line of duty for the country.
“He alluded that we have a SAPS Education Fund that must be utilised to assist the children of the deceased to advance educationally,” said Tonjeni.
During the early hours of Wednesday morning, a group of armed suspects entered the police station and opened fire killing three police members instantly.
According to police, a retired soldier was also shot dead as the suspects fled.
The suspects made off with a police van and took two other police officials with them.
The two police officers were later found dead along the road, six kilometers from the police station.
The police vehicle has since been recovered.
According to preliminary investigations, police said that it appeared that the members were shot execution style.
The deceased were all males, a Warrant Officer, and four Constables. Five other female members were given trauma counseling.
Police said that 10 firearms had been taken, which included two rifles, two shotguns and six pistols.
The motive for the attack has yet to be established.
- African News Agency (ANA)
