It sounds like a scene from a badly-written telenovela, but it’s true.
An investigation is under way after three people, including a police officer, were fatally wounded in a shooting in Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The police officer was driving his private vehicle when he saw a woman walking along the road in Nseleni township.
Speaking to IOL, Ipid spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping said the woman rejected the policeman's advances.
"The police official got angry and allegedly insulted the lady, who then insulted him back. The officer allegedly alighted from his vehicle and assaulted the woman, and her uncle allegedly tried to stab the officer, in the woman's defence," Shuping said.
The officer went to his vehicle and fired shots at the woman and her uncle.
Shuping said the woman's mother came out of their house, armed with a firearm, and fired shots at the officer.
The police officer, the woman's uncle, and her mother sustained gunshot wounds.
"They were all taken to the hospital, where they all passed away," Shuping said.
According to Police Minister Bheki Cele, more than 5,000 officers have been arrested since 2019.
In a written reply to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA), Cele revealed that 5,489 officers have been arrested since 2019 for various crimes.
He added that 3,981 of these members are still employed by the South African Police Service (SAPS), despite their arrests.
Some of the criminal charges against these SAPS members include:
Murder and rape
Attempted murder
Kidnapping
Perjury
Corruption and extortion
Defeating the course of justice
Discharging a firearm in a public place
Burglary at residential and business premises
Causing bodily injury through the negligent use of a firearm
Abandonment, abuse, or neglect of a child
Assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm.
IOL