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Ngcobo massacre: We want cop killers ‘dead or alive’, says police commissioner

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The Ngcobo police station is under heavy guard following the killing of 5 officers. Picture: Ziyanda Zweni/Daily Sun
The Ngcobo police station is under heavy guard following the killing of 5 officers. Picture: Ziyanda Zweni/Daily Sun

The killers of five police officers in Ngcobo are wanted “dead or alive”, says National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole.

Sithole and Police Minister Fikile Mbalula visited the Ngcobo police station in the Eastern Cape where armed gunmen ambushed ten police officers who were on duty on Tuesday night, killing five male officers while five female officers were locked at the back of a police van and left unarmed.

A retired soldier was also caught in the crossfire and killed near the police station.

The suspects made off with ten firearms including six pistols, two shotguns, two R5 rifles and many rounds of ammunition.

They then bombed an ATM about 500 metres from the police station where they allegedly took an undisclosed amount of money.

Sithole said they have deployed a multi-disciplinary collaborated task team to investigate the attack, which consists of intelligence and detectives who are going to work throughout the 72-hour manhunt launched by the police.

He said the task team will be backed up with a special tracking team which was not only tracking the criminals in Ngcobo, but nationally as well.

“We also have an activation plan which is a national activation plan. We have activated all our medium and high risk forces and they are on standby. We have put alerts on all the roads all over the country. Our police are also sufficiently armed and ready since these are the most dangerous criminals,” he said.

He said the criminals have sent the police an invitation at the right time when they were busy stamping the authority of the state and would provide a response.

“We will be continuing to stamp the authority of the state and will be after them until we arrest them. And during the process of this arrest we will be raising from minimum to maximum use of force as would be reasonable and necessary for us to effect the arrest.

“And we want them dead or alive. They will be arrested,” said Sithole.

Mbalula, speaking during a prayer meeting outside the Ngcobo police station, said the facility and other similar ones in rural areas should be upgraded, and installed with cameras and metal detectors.

When City Press visited the police station on Wednesday it found that there was not even a gate at the entrance and that people can simply walk inside. A police officer who works at the police station said there were no working lights at the entrance and no window curtains or blinds and that people from outside can see what police are doing inside.

On Wednesday curious onlookers stood alongside the streets braving the rainy weather. During the prayer session, which was led by police chaplains, members of the community held the candles high which could not be lit due to the rain as they prayed for the deceased.

Mbalula described the five deceased police officers as heroes who died in the line of duty and promised them a decent funeral and to send their children to school through a police bursary fund.

He said police would work around the clock to arrest the perpetrators.

“We cannot allow our police officers on duty to die like flies. It’s like sending mineworkers underground with a dysfunctional lift. You are basically sending them to death. Police officers, when they come to work, they must be guarded so that they are able to do their job.

“I can assure South Africans this police station will not be closed down. But it must be upgraded henceforth. And all those who were involved must be cancelled. This is a traumatic experience. But this is a rude awakening; it happens everywhere in the country,” he said.

Mbalula said this was not the first incident in the same police station.

“This is the second time. We cannot allow it to happen to the next police station. When they arrive in the next police station they want to do the same, they must meet the police ready,” Mbalula said.

Oscar Mabuyane, chairperson of the ANC in the province who is also from Ngcobo, was one of the first politicians to visit the crime scene and attend the prayer service.

“We are here to give the necessary support. We are quite pleased with the quick response by the minister and indeed this was a very shocking incident. We are saddened. But we are quite happy with the indication from the national commissioner that they are on top of the issue and would work around the clock with them to ensure the culprits are apprehended. We cannot allow this situation to go unabated,” Mabuyane said.

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