“The trend we are seeing is increasing gun crime, and little to no action from the Police. This cannot go on,” said Lisa Schickerling – DA Spokesperson on Police.

In separate incidents, mass shootings occurred in Phillipi in the Western Cape and Westbury in Gauteng, while several other shootings have occurred.

The DA now calls on Cachalia to urgently address this increasing crisis, and take meaningful steps to restore order and operational stability within SAPS.

“These tragedies come amid escalating instability within the South African Police Service (SAPS), instability that is now costing lives,” Schickerling said.

“While innocent South Africans are being gunned down in their homes and on their streets, the leadership of the SAPS remains consumed by internal battles, political interference, and leadership paralysis.

“The chaos in the command structure, the confusion over authority, and the collapse of crime intelligence have all left our police service rudderless and ineffective.”

South Africans deserve answers to the following questions, the DA said:

What emergency measures are being implemented to stabilise SAPS leadership and end the infighting that is crippling the service?
What concrete plans are in place to protect communities in high-risk areas like Westbury, Gugulethu, and the Cape Flats?
How will the Minister ensure accountability in SAPS management and command structures, given the ongoing leadership disputes?
South Africans cannot continue to live under siege while ministers “figure out a plan.”

Every day of inaction costs more lives, the DA said, adding it has repeatedly called for urgent reform of the SAPS, including depoliticising police leadership, expanding policing powers to capable local and provincial governments, and strengthening crime intelligence and detective services.

The DA has also set a deadline for the Ministers of Justice, Correctional Services, Police, and State Security to account for their departments’ joint failures in curbing the rise of impunity and present a combined plan to save the South African criminal justice system.

The post Shootings are rising while SAPS leadership remains paralysed – DA appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

Acting on intelligence, police spotted the suspects’ vehicle traveling along the John Ross Highway towards Richards Bay. When police signaled the driver to stop, the vehicle sped off, leading to a high-speed chase. The suspects opened fire on the officers, prompting officers to return fire. During the exchange, all eight suspects were fatally wounded, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.

The suspects were additionally linked to a recent cash-in-transit robbery in the Mzingazi area, and were found with three firearms, two replica firearms, and housebreaking tools. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the firearms are connected to other crimes.

This incident brings the total number of suspects shot and killed during shootouts with police this week to 10. On Wednesday 4 December, one suspect was fatally shot in Umlazi during a police operation targeting suspects wanted for a series of murders and cash-in-transit robberies. Police received a tip-off about the suspects’ location and, upon arrival at a residence in F Section, two suspects opened fire. In the ensuing shootout, one suspect was killed, and the other fled, narrowly evading capture.

On Thursday, another suspect was fatally wounded in an altercation with police in KwaMashu, while two others were arrested. Police had been searching for suspects involved in a vehicle hijacking in Phoenix. When they spotted the stolen vehicle in KwaMashu, one suspect fired at officers before fleeing on foot. After a brief chase, the suspect was found dead from gunshot wounds, and the two others were arrested. They are expected to appear in court soon.

The post KZN police kill 10 suspects in one week appeared first on ProtectionWeb.