Ndwedwe station commander shot dead

Ndwedwe acting police station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde, 56, was shot dead while driving home in a state vehicle on Monday night.

Ndwedwe acting police station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde, 56, was shot dead while driving home in a state vehicle on Monday night.

Published May 25, 2021

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The MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison in KwaZulu-Natal Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni is expected to visit the family of a police officer that was killed in Ndwedwe on Monday night.

Ndwedwe acting police station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde, 56, was shot dead while driving home in a state vehicle.

The provincial Department of Transport said the incident occurred after a white pick-up truck overtook him and the vehicle’s occupants then opened fire on him.

Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a case of murder has been opened for further investigation.

She said the shooting occurred when Ndawonde was driving past the Bamshela taxi rank.

“It is alleged that while he was driving, a vehicle overtook him and the occupants fired several gunshots towards him and he was declared dead on the scene. At the moment, the motive of the killing is unknown and the docket will be transferred to the Hawks for further investigations.”

Nkonyeni condemned the incident.

“The presence of police in our society is a constant reminder of the crucial role they play in ensuring that citizens live in a safe and violence-free society. Equally, we will continue to campaign for those criminals who are killing our police officers, to be given harsher sentences by our courts. We will be using the Operation Vala multi-disciplinary crime-fighting campaign to build strong relations between the police and the communities,” said MEC Nkonyeni.

Last week, Nkonyeni spoke about addressing the scourge of police killings in the province during the tabling of the Budget Policy Speech of the Department of Community Safety and Liaison.

The MEC said: “The threat to police members will not be tolerated and we urge police to defend themselves by all means necessary should they be under attack. The murder of a police officer or any member of the law enforcement fraternity is a direct attack on the state and the rule of law, therefore police must not die with a gun in their hands, but they must defend themselves.”

Nkonyeni added that there was an urgent need for the government and communities to build stronger working relations with all law enforcement agencies.

Nkonyeni appealed to anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of the suspects to contact the SAPS Crime Stop number 0860 010 111 or send tip-offs to the MySAPS APP.

THE MERCURY

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Crime and courts