Cape Town - A shift commander was shot and injured by a robber while on patrol.
Nyanga police station’s visible policing commander Lindile Majola was shot in a leg on Friday afternoon.
He was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe said there was a pamphleteering drive at Philippi Junction and Majola decided to patrol Browns Farm.
“When they arrived in Mnixi Street they saw an armed robbery and hijacking in progress. The shooter had taken the wheel of the Coca-Cola truck. The other group, including two females, were outside, and they managed to escape when the police arrived; they managed to run in between shacks.”
Qwebe said the driver of the delivery truck was robbed of his belongings.
“This is a new trend of crime of hijacking trucks. We were focusing on e-hailing drivers who were robbed and sometimes stabbed or shot. Browns Farm has always been a violent suburb and it has become more challenging now,” he said.
Qwebe described Majola as a hard-working manager who was always on the ground.
“He’s not the kind of manager who sits in his office; he goes on patrols even with his own car. We are going to make sure that we speak with the same voice so that the suspect doesn’t get bail. We ask people to work with us and inform the police when an incident happens in front of them. We want them to tell us who the culprits are so they are also brought to book,” he said.
Police spokesperson André Traut said the police would not tolerate attacks on their members.
“We will use all our resources to bring perpetrators to book so they can face the consequences in a court of law. This is what a 38-year-old suspect was taught on Friday afternoon after he opened fire at police officers, wounding a 51-year-old colonel in his leg.
“The colonel and three colleagues were doing crime-prevention patrols in Browns Farm at around 4.50pm when they were alerted to an armed robbery in progress in Mnixi Street.
“They immediately responded and approached the beverage delivery vehicle which was the target of the robbery. Upon arrival at the crime scene, the suspects fled on foot with police in pursuit.
“One of the suspects opened fire at the police members, and wounded the colonel. This suspect was pursued by the colonel’s colleagues until he was arrested and disarmed.
“The other suspects managed to evade arrest and are being sought. The arrested suspect is scheduled to make his court appearance in Athlone on Monday where he will face charges of attempted murder, the possession of an unlicensed firearm and armed robbery.
“The wounded member was admitted to hospital and he is currently in a stable condition.”