It is unfortunate that civilians and police die during armed conflict with criminals, but it is a reality, Deputy Minister of Police Fikile Mbabula said on Wednesday.
"We do care. It's not like we're cold-blooded people," Mbalula told the National Press Club in Pretoria.
"We are involved in war. Just this week, two police officers died," he said, adding that the media focused only on civilians and not the police trying to protect them.
He said the ministry could not immediately apologise for the deaths until the facts were known.
"We cannot condemn without knowing the facts," he said.
Mbalula said civilian deaths were a reality, however "trigger-happy" police were not above the law.
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"We sympathise with people who are in that kind of situation. These are the days of our lives. In the crossfire between criminals and police, innocent people die, police also die. We live in South Africa and that's the point," he said.
Mbalula, who was seated next to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, also reiterated that there was no "turf war" between the two.
"They are tensions that are only existing in the imagination," he said.
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