Johannesburg - She is not ready to face the world. She is not ready to carry her service pistol or put on her blue uniform. She fears for her life.
Busi* is a 32-year-old policewoman. Her bosses expect her back at work soon. She has been at home for almost two months under medical observation.
Not only did her sick leave allow her to spend more time with her two children, it gave her space to think about whether she should resign.
“I’m doubtful about the decision (to return to work). I want to change careers, but where will I get another job? Even qualified people can’t get jobs these days. I have a family to feed,” said the constable.
She was admitted to hospital for shock nearly two months ago, after witnessing her colleague succumb to his injuries during a shoot-out with criminals.
The pair were patrolling the streets of Ekurhuleni when they responded to a business robbery. When they arrived, they were greeted by a hail of bullets.
“The suspects aimed in our direction and started shooting randomly. It was dark. We couldn’t even see where the shots were coming from. They saw the police vehicle and knew we would retaliate or apprehend them,” she said.
“We took cover inside the vehicle. My partner got injured in the process. I wasn’t even aware of his injuries because I was shooting.”
It was only when Busi turned to alert her partner that the thugs had fled that she realised he was injured.
This was the constable’s first attack in her nine years of service.
“We are recognised by our uniforms and cars when we get to crime scenes. But we can’t identify them because they aren’t identifiable. They dress like any other people.
“Sometimes, they dress just like us or security guards. You only know that the person is a suspect when he shoots at you.”
Police killings are on the rise. Nearly 60 officers have been killed this year alone.
In one of the two latest incidents two weeks ago, Warrant Officer Moses Mosekwane and his colleague, Gladstone Chauke were patrolling the streets of Hillbrow when Mosekwane was killed.
A woman approached the pair, claiming that two men had tried to rob her. The cops confronted the duo and one of them disarmed Mosekwane, killing him instantly with his own service pistol. Chauke was injured in the incident.
Two days later, Mosekwane’s killer was shot dead in Bez Valley in a gun battle with police. Mosekwane’s firearm was later recovered.
A day before Mosekwane’s death, Constable Ronald Baloyi, 37, from Laudium police station in Pretoria, was gunned down in Atteridgeville while en route to prepare for his wife’s baby shower.
Baloyi, who was to be a father of twins, was shot twice in the chest while sitting in a car with a friend who escaped unharmed.
This week, the DA in Gauteng called on communities to adopt a firm position against crime and criminals.
“We must take a stand against police killings.
“The men and women of the SAPS put their lives on the line for us every day to keep us safe. They do a job many of us would never do. We must ensure that they are as safe as well,” said Kate Lorimer, DA Gauteng spokeswoman for community safety.
Pearl*, a Soweto detective, believes police killings can only be prevented if the government protects them and tightens the laws.
“Criminals no longer respect us. Harsher sentences need to be passed.”
Pearl joined the service about 10 years ago. But recently she has been considering a career change.
She has a BA degree in social work, obtained while working as an officer. “They say it’s police brutality when we kill them during shoot-outs. But it seems that it is okay when they kill us.”
Not only have the killings affected her, but her family fears for her, too.
“They get worried when a police officer is killed in Soweto and they often call to check on me,” Pearl said.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union said there were no guarantees for police officers that they would return home after work.
“We have made a number of proposals which we feel could be short-term solutions, like revisiting gun laws and implementing harsher sentences,” said spokesman Richard Mamabolo.
“In the long term, we feel there should be broader discussions around the socio-economic challenges that the majority of our people are confronted with, which are among the root causes of the current state of affairs,” he said.
*Not their real names.
Pretoria News Weekend