South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has noted concerns over the “number of suspects that have been shot and killed by police in KwaZulu-Natal in recent months,” and warned criminals to surrender when called on to do so by police.
Providing an update on countrywide police operations during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday 1 August, the National Commissioner warned criminals that police will continue to use force that is proportional to the threat when they are defending themselves and the communities they serve.
On Tuesday 30 July, SAPS officers in KZN investigated suspects wanted in connection with “at least thirteen cases of business robbery and car hijacking in the Cator Manor and Durban Central Policing Precinct.” Upon confronting the suspects, officers were met with heavy gunfire. Five suspects were fatally wounded, with no officers harmed.
Masemola said in the previous week, KZN police shot and killed nine suspects in various incidents. “In all these incidents, police were met with gunfire and various kind of high calibre firearms were seized which include automatic rifles. All these suspects were wanted in connection with serious and violent crime including murders, ATM bombings.”
At another separate incident in Kwadlangezwa in Empangeni, three suspects who were fatally wounded by police, were wanted “in connection with at least ten cases of murder in the province.” These cases are likely to be closed, with no opportunity to question suspects and provide any meaningful insight which could have resulted in the cases being solved.
Seeking to provide clarity, General Masemola noted “our mandate as the SAPS is to bring perpetrators to justice by arresting them, but quite often in pursuit of arresting these often dangerous and heavily armed criminals, our police officers are more than often met with heavy gunfire and that leaves our officers with no option but to defend themselves and the communities that they serve.”
The Commissioner urged criminals to surrender when called to do so, saying “when criminals fire with live ammunition, we have no choice but to defend ourselves and the communities that we serve.” However, he stated police will continue to maintain “force that is proportional to the threat.”
Shortly after Masemola’s remarks, three more suspects were shot dead during a shootout with police in Umlazi on Friday 2 August. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspects had just hijacked a woman of her vehicle at R Section in Umlazi. Police responded swiftly and during a high-speed chase, the suspects fired on the police, with one officer shot in the arm. Police returned fire, killing the three suspects.
Then, on the night of Sunday 4 August, a suspect who was alleged to have just committed a robbery was shot and fatally wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police in Esikhaleni, KZN. Police had responded to reports of a victim who was robbed at Ndindima area in Esikhaleni by suspects who fled the scene. Police traced the suspects and four were cornered. At the sight of police blue lights, the suspects opened fire towards the police. One suspect was fatally wounded in the resultant shootout whilst other three fled into the bushes. The suspect was found in possession of a. 38 Special revolver with five rounds of ammunition.
Policing expert Johan Burger told TimesLive that police are constitutionally obliged to do what is necessary to combat crime, including identifying and arresting criminals. “Police have no choice because on the one hand, they also have to protect themselves and other innocent people who may be in the vicinity, and second, the police have the constitutional obligation to arrest those criminals.”
However, he said the number of incidents raises questions and noted that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is obliged to investigate all incidents where suspects are killed to see if police acted appropriately.
“KZN does stand out for the higher level of police shooting of suspects we have seen in recent years,” Criminologist Dr Guy Lamb told TimesLive. This is compounded by a huge number of illegal firearms in circulation which makes policing very dangerous. “KZN does stand out in comparison with other provinces,” he said, indicating police in KZN are more prone to fire at criminals.
In the last three months, more than 30 suspected criminals have been killed by police in KZN.