JOHANNESBURG – Two young police constables from the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit were killed in Reiger Park, near Boksburg, on Friday evening (7 August) in what police have described as an ambush.

Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni said in a television interview from the scene that officers were deployed to the area at around 18:00, with “no less than three vehicles to ensure the (gang-ridden) community feel safe.”

Polo targeted before police came under fire

Mthombeni said the officers heard shots while on patrol and drove towards the gunfire. A Volkswagen Polo had apparently been targeted by criminals and shot at, after which shots were directed at the responding officers.

Two young constables were killed and two civilians, Mthombeni said.

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, who joined Mthombeni at the scene, said two women in the car (presumably the Polo) also died. He described the scene as distressing.

“If you attack the police, you attack the State, it’s a declaration of war,” Lesufi said, adding that he had confidence the police would do everything in their power to arrest the suspects.

Specialist units mobilised

Mthombeni has mobilised several specialist resources to respond to the killings, including Crime Intelligence, the Tracking Team, Crime Scene Management and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks.

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