Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has condemned the attack on local community patrollers. This follows a shootout at Marry Me informal settlements in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, over the weekend where five patrollers were killed, and eight individuals were sent to hospital.
According to the police report, the deceased were gathered together in the early hours of Saturday morning to do their patrolling routine when an altercation occurred with five armed men.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the cold-blooded murders and criminality that took place in Marry Me. These unarmed members of the community committed crimes and improved the safety of their community. It was remarkable that they took a stand against crime and that is the right thing to do,” says Ministry spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi
Meanwhile, Save South Africa, a civic movement, says Gauteng police should take the pleas of residents of informal settlements seriously.
“We further condemn the behavior of police in that, there is always bad attitude in responding to informal settlement crime-related matters. The police must at all times demonstrate a high level of responsibility in preventing and responding to crime-related matters irrespective of where the crime took place. Here, we are talking of the lives of people and the police must be quick to respond,” says the movement’s spokesperson Tebogo Mashilompane.
