Johannesburg - The shooting of multiple award-winning singer Kuli Chana is one of many cases of mistaken identity by police and should be condemned, the African National Congress Youth League said on Monday.
“We regard this incident of mistaken shooting as a highlight in a sea of many other related mistaken identity foul operations by our police,” ANCYL spokesman Bandile Masuku said in a statement.
“We emphasised a long time ago that training and re-skilling of the police have to be frequently undertaken in order for them to have an untainted credibility within society.”
The Congress of the People’s Youth Movement said the incident was further cause for the demilitarisation of police.
“Police failed to properly investigate, but rather opened (fire with) live ammunition on the musician’s car without checking.”
“This further surges up the call for the demilitarisation of police and extensive training to do proper investigations before opening fire on alleged criminals.”
Chana, whose real name is Khulane Morule, was shot and wounded by police on Monday at the Caltex garage along the N1 highway in Midrand.
Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said police from Bedfordview had mistaken Chana's luxury sedan to be that of a kidnapper who was being tracked.
Police tried to stop the vehicle, but it drove away at high speed and several shots were fired, Dlamini said.
A case of attempted murder is being investigated.
Chana was discharged from hospital but left shaken by the incident, his publicist Sheila Afari said. - Sapa