DURBAN - THE family of a police officer who was killed while responding to a domestic violence complaint said his murder had left them devastated.
Constable Mfihloyakhe Ndlovu, 45, from KwaXimba, was shot while he and a colleague were responding to an incident in Welbedacht East in Chatsworth last week. Ndlovu was shot while he was approaching a house. He died at the scene. The suspect ran out of the house, shooting at the police.
The officers returned fire and the suspect was killed.
Ndlovu’s brother, Mqondisi Ndlovu, said his brother was the breadwinner for his wife and child.
“He was a family man who did everything with a big smile. We are still in shock and finding it hard to deal with his passing.”
Mqondisi said Ndlovu had loved his job and helping others.
Acting KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Kwazi Mshengu, visited the family over the weekend.
Mshengu issued a warning to criminals that the police would not hesitate to use deadly force if their lives were threatened. He said that when criminals drew their guns, their intention was clear and that was to kill police officers.
“Our message to the police is that when faced with hardened criminals, they must not hesitate to defend themselves and their communities decisively. It can’t be business as usual when police continue to die in numbers at the hands of criminals,” said Mshengu.
According to the department, four police officers were killed in KZN in the third quarter of the 2020/2021 financial year.
Mshengu said the killing of police officers needed to be tackled because it was a direct attack on the state and the rule of law.
“This should be the last police officer to die in this manner, more so as he was responding to a case of gender-based violence (GBV) which has been described by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a second pandemic. The incidents of GBV will not be eliminated by police alone, but require strong family foundations and active community engagements,” added Mshengu.
The Mercury