The Police and Prison Civil Rights Union wants more stringent measures to prevent police murders.
This comes after Colin Maluleke, 42, was killed on Wednesday night in Diepkloof, Soweto, after responding to an armed robbery call.
His brother, Christopher Maluleke, said yesterday that it was difficult to come to terms with his death but hoped the culprits would be arrested soon.
“He loved his work and was passionate because he always felt like he was making a difference in our community.”
He said his brother was an SAPS reservist for 22 years and had been a dedicated member. He has three children.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said a manhunt has been launched for a group of between five and six men who are believed to be behind Maluleke’s murder.
He said Maluleke and his colleague were on foot-patrol at a taxi rank when they responded to an armed robbery complaint at a supermarket.
“On approaching the crime scene, several shots were fired at them. Maluleke was shot and wounded in the upper body. He was rushed to the hospital where he died on arrival. His colleague was not hurt,” Dlamini said.
Maluleke’s death comes a week after Minister of Police Fikile Mabalula condemned the killing of cops after warrant officer Sipho Mthethwa of Vosloorus was killed while a detective was shot and wounded in Braamfischerville during a routine investigation.
While visiting the Vosloorus police station, Mbalula said the South African justice system needed to be enhanced to prevent more police dying in the line of duty.
Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said that the security of police is long running unresolved issue.
“The onslaught on police has not been addressed properly, since the days of the previous Minister of Police and the former Acting National Commissioner,” said Mamabolo.
He lamented that little has been done since there was an upsurge in cop killings in 2015.
Mamabolo said the police needed to formulate and implement short and long-term objectives to ensure that further police killings could be prevented.
“In the short-term, police need to work in groups and be vigilant, while the long-term strategies need to involve building relations with communities,” Mamabolo said.
“We know that crime rates are low in areas where relationships exist between the police and communities. But the focus should not just be on operational matters, but also on the legislative framework,” he said.
However, the South African Police Union (Sapu) called on officers to act before they are killed by suspects.
General-secretary Oscar Skommere said police killings in the country had reached an unacceptable level.
“Sapu calls on police officers not to wait for criminals to kill them. They must fight back. We are not saying an eye for an eye, yet Sapu states it categorically and clearly that officers must not die with their firearms. We are sick and tired of these merciless killings,” he said.