SLAIN police officer Sanele Dlamini, 36, will be laid to rest on Wednesday in his hometown of Ixopo, in southern KwaZulu-Natal.
Dlamini was fatally wounded during a dramatic gunfight with criminals last week in the crime-ridden Inanda township, where he lived.
He was off-duty at the time, and the suspects stole his service pistol during the incident.
His funeral will take place at eNdwebu Community Hall in Nhlangwini.
His close relative, Thabani Mkhize, said: “We are saddened to be burying our beloved brother. He loved his family and his job. We hope and pray that the people behind his killing are arrested and convicted.”
During the gunfight, Dlamini managed to wound one of the suspects, who later reportedly revealed the names of his accomplices to the police. The police were still hunting the suspects who were at large.
This incident comes as crime continues to surge in Inanda, which has gained the reputation as the country’s murder capital due to the high number of reported homicide cases in the area.
The presence of a notorious criminal gang known as the West Gang has further worsened the situation.
This has prompted Inanda community members to stage a march last month, which was well attended, where they demanded increased police visibility and deployment in their township, located north of Durban.
At a media briefing on Monday, provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said four police officers were murdered by criminals in the first nine months of last year.
During the same period, 105 suspects were killed in 38 shootouts with police. These suspects were linked to murders, extortion and cash-in-transit heists.
Mkhwanazi has consistently maintained that police should not die carrying their firearms, ordering the men in blue to fight “fire with fire”.
The national police commissioner, Fanie Masemola, echoed the same sentiment.
Speaking at the Policing Summit held at the Emperor's Palace in Ekurhuleni last week, Masemola said police must not fall victim to ruthless criminals as they have been given the authority by the government to protect the country and its citizens.
Said Masemola: "Those that draw a firearm towards the police, the instruction is clear, as the police, you must defend yourselves and defend the people and the inhabitants of this country. You cannot look back and allow the situation where when there was a shooting between the police and the criminals, we lose members or they are injured.”
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