Nine police officers appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court in connection with the attempted murder of a businessman.
Durban — Nine police officers arrested on allegations of attempted murder by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) were granted bail.
The officers were arrested for an alleged shooting incident that occurred on May 30 in Pinetown, north-west of Durban.
Ipid spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said it is alleged that a local businessman was driving along the M13 near Pinetown when the police pulled him over. It is also alleged that the police shot at him while he was sitting in the car.
He said the businessman did not suffer any injuries, but a case of attempted murder was opened against the police officers.
Shuping said Ipid took over the case for investigation and on Thursday, nine police officers allegedly involved in the incident were arrested.
“They appeared before the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court and were each granted bail of R5 000. The case was postponed to August 20 for further investigations,” Shuping said.
Earlier, KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi assured the head of Ipid in KZN of police management’s continued support in rooting out unruly elements within the SAPS.
KZN police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said Mkhwanazi remains steadfast in his approach towards police officers who break the law, especially as police officers have taken an oath to protect and serve our communities.
Naicker said they are working closely with Ipid and the Hawks and their anti-corruption unit is investigating cases where police officers break the law, and they remain committed to rooting out corrupt police officers. Millions of unemployed people are willing to join the SAPS to protect and serve and they will not hold on to those who do not want to work within the confines of the law.
“Over the past three years since the appointment of the provincial commissioner, we have seen 105 police officers being arrested for various offences in KZN. These police officers are also subjected to our own disciplinary processes. Because we take misconduct seriously, the standard of proof is not beyond reasonable doubt, as in criminal cases, but based on a balance of probabilities. This enables us to proceed swiftly with disciplinary investigations and in most instances our disciplinary cases are finalised well ahead of the criminal cases,” Naicker said.
“Over the past three years in this province, 314 police officers have been dismissed from the SAPS after going through various processes such as suspension, redeployment to other environments etc.”
Naicker continued: “Whilst we are faced with such incidents where the actions of some police officers tarnish the image of the SAPS, we wish to extend our words of appreciation to police officers across the province who continue to serve and protect communities whilst risking their lives. Every day we hear of incidents where police officers put their lives on the line in order to create a safer environment and they do this within the confines of the law.”
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