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The Inkhatha Freedom Party (IFP) is saddened by the killings of policemen in the line of duty in Gauteng, with the recent report announcing that yet another policeman has been killed in Themba, North of Pretoria, bringing to two the number of officers killed in the province in the last 24 hours.

“We are very disappointed by these senseless and brutal murders that continue to rob us of important citizens of this country who have sacrificially chosen to serve and protect our communities. This evidence of criminality perpetrated by a few amongst us stresses that we act urgently to curb this regrettable trend,” IFP Gauteng Caucus Leader, Bonginkosi Dhlamini said.

“It is clear that criminals are now targeting law enforcers in their law breaking activities. But even more apparent that there is a need to employ every possible security measure to ensure the safety of brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us,” Dhlamini said.

“The tragedy is that in some instances these deaths could have been avoided had precautious measures included in the Safety and Security departmental policy been taken, this includes; wearing bullet-proof-vest or having more police officers attend to a crime scene to out-number these criminals,” Dhlamini reveals.

“So while we acknowledge that some incidents occur at light-speed and grant law enforcers less time and opportunity to act. We insist that policies must be adhered to ensure that those who carry an obligation to protect us are well equipped to deal with these offenders who are determined to run down our society,” Dhlamini adds.

“We would therefore like to extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of these strong-willed men whose blood was shared in their quest for a safe and secure society for all,” Dhlamini concludes.

Issued by IFP in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature