Johannesburg - The murder of Gauteng policeman Major-General Tirhani Maswanganyi on Tuesday was an indication that criminals were not afraid of law enforcement agencies, the Freedom Front Plus said.
“The murderers clearly, regardless of the motive, have no fear of law enforcement or prosecution,” FF Plus leader in the province Jaco Mulder said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
He said the established criminal culture in South Africa has progressed to taunting the authorities.
The 52-year-old policeman's body was found in a field near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday morning, police said.
His family told investigators he left home to go to work shortly after 2pm on Monday.
Gauteng commissioner Lieutenant-General Mzwandile Petros said: “At approximately 3am this morning, the body of the officer was found in a bushy area next to the road. His hands and feet were tied up”.
A police patrol found Maswanganyi's abandoned Isuzu bakkie next to the R101 on Monday evening. A police uniform and a police identification card were in the bakkie, which prompted a search.
Police were waiting for a post mortem report on the cause of death.
Petros said there were no gunshot wounds to the body.
On Tuesday, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said Maswanganyi's death was a senseless blow to Gauteng's war against crime.
“In the memory of Major-General Maswanganyi, all of us law-abiding citizens should take up the cudgels and say: ‘We will not be cowed into submission by criminals. We will honour Maswanganyi by making sure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are swiftly brought to book',” she said.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said Maswanganyi's death was a loss to South Africa.
He had been in the police service for 31 years.
“The South African Police Service (SAPS) is poorer. The Gauteng provincial team is poorer. The people of Johannesburg are poorer. The people of Gauteng and of the entire South Africa are poorer,” he said.
The South African Police Union (Sapu) also condemned Maswanganyi's death.
“We want to condemn with the strongest terms possible the senseless murder of this top cop,” said Sapu’s general secretary Oscar Skommere.
“His cold-blooded murder has robbed the SAPS, as he was one of a few career officers who have dedicated their lives to the fight against crime in our society.”
The Democratic Alliance extended its condolences to Maswanganyi's family, friends, and colleagues.
“By all accounts he was a dedicated policeman who keenly felt the need to make a difference in the fight against crime,” DA MPL Kate Lorimer said in a statement.
Petros said a team of detectives under the leadership of the deputy provincial commissioner for detective services, Major-General Tebello Mosikili, and investigators from the provincial investigation unit and organised crime would investigate the murder. - Sapa