CAPE TOWN - Western Cape community safety MEC Dan Plato has condemned the brazen attacks which saw two off-duty police officers shot dead in separate attacks in Delft and Khayelitsha in Cape Town this weekend, and reminded the public that the R100 000 reward for information on police killers still stands.
"My sincerest condolences go out to the families of constables Lonwabo Kili and Siyamcela Ncipa, their friends, and colleagues for their loss," he said on Sunday.
Attacks on police in the province could not be tolerated. The murders of police officers for seemingly no other reason than to obtain their firearms were disgusting acts of criminality and had no place in society.
"It is for this reason that I remind the law-abiding residents in our communities that the department of community safety’s R100,000 reward still stands for anyone with information that will result in the arrest and successful conviction of cop killers in the Western Cape," Plato said.
"I trust that the full police investigation will uncover those responsible for the planning and execution of these murders and that all involved will face their day in court. The Western Cape government condemns cop killings. While we have no operational control over SAPS [South African Police Service], our government is committed to supporting the hardworking officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect others."
This reward should be a strong warning to anyone wishing to harm the brave men and women who served communities. Though no reward would bring back the fallen officers to their loved ones, anyone with credible information on the incidents should do the right thing and assist the police and law enforcement authorities.
It was important to remember that police killings, however unrelated, remained the vicious acts of individuals who did not represent the sentiment of the broader community.
Only a few in society were responsible for these crimes. Those responsible were, however, someone’s child, someone’s sibling, or someone’s neighbour, and these were the people that needed to break their silence and assist the police, Plato said.