Johannesburg – National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega must be held accountable for the murders of the 52 police officers since the beginning of the year, AfriForum said on Monday.“It is unacceptable for General Phiyega and President Jacob Zuma to simply say that they condemn these murders,” said AfriForum’s head of community safety, Ian Cameron.
“It’s time they accept responsibility for the tragedies and crime in South Africa. Too much blood is spilt in this country,” Cameron said.
“It’s sad that good police officers must suffer as a result of poor leadership,” he said.
The civil rights organisation said it it had written to Phiyega, requesting she come up with an immediate action plan and policing strategy.
According to AfriForum, 47 police officers were killed between January and August last year.
Last week alone, four police officers were killed in the line of duty while a fifth was shot in the stomach during a stop-and-search operation in Carltonville on Sunday night.
Cameron said the increase in police killings confirmed the gravity of the crime crisis in South Africa.
“Statistics confirmed that 47 murders occur in South Africa every day. There is an urgent need for, among other things, training and strategies to tackle this problem successfully,” he said, adding that AfriForum would assist the police in preventing crime through its safety structures.
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