The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) addressed an urgent letter to the Provincial Legislature expressing grave concern over the rising number of violent attacks and murders on police officers in the province.
The tragic murder of Constable Khulani Shabangu (29) on 30 May 2025 in Lillydale (near Calcutta) underscores the urgency of the matter.
Shabangu, a member of Volksrust’s visible policing unit, was ambushed in a barbershop, stripped of his clothing and shot dead outside the premises before the attackers fled in his service vehicle. This heinous act is inexcusable.
Those tasked with ensuring our safety are now in danger themselves. Law enforcers are being targeted, lured into traps and even attacked or killed in their own homes.
These brutal attacks are not merely crimes, but a direct assault on public order.
Police officers cannot be expected to risk their lives every day if the state does not prioritise their safety and well-being.
The Freedom Front Plus requested the MEC for the Department of Community Safety, Mr Jackie Macie, to seriously consider the following steps:
• A comprehensive risk assessment regarding police safety;
• A protection strategy for officers, including trauma counselling, intelligence support and operational protocols;
• Thorough investigations into attacks on police officers, with no tolerance for lawlessness; and
• An internal programme focused on ensuring officers’ mental health and well-being.
The ANC government has to act before tragedy strikes again.
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