Enough is enough - Mthethwa

Enough is enough - Mthethwa
2013-06-18 22:25



Send us your pictures · Send us your stories
Related Links
Top Gauteng cop killed
Dead cop's hands, feet bound
Top cop heard of killings later

Johannesburg - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was saddened by the death of Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi, whose body was found early on Tuesday morning, his office said.

"We are saddened by this tragic loss of a senior cop who dedicated his life to serve the vulnerable and the weak in society," Mthethwa said in a statement.

"The SA Police Service [SAPS] is poorer, the Gauteng provincial team is poorer, the people of Johannesburg are poorer, the people of Gauteng and of the entire South Africa are poorer."

The minister said the country had been robbed of a true patriot, a dedicated officer who contributed to the reconstruction and development of South Africa.

Maswanganyi's body was found in a field near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday, police said.

"Approximately 03:00 this morning the body of the officer was found in a bushy area next to the road," Gauteng commissioner Lieutenant General Mzwandile Petros said.

"His hands and feet were tied up."

A police patrol found Maswanganyi's abandoned Isuzu bakkie next to the R101 on Monday evening. A police uniform and police identification card were in the bakkie, which prompted a search.

Mthethwa said South Africans could pay tribute to Maswanganyi, who had been in service for 31 years, by taking a tough stance against crime.

Maswanganyi and many other police officers had lost their lives in the line of duty, the minister said.

"We have emphasised the point before that policing remains a very difficult and challenging duty... on a daily basis our members face dangerous and vicious criminals, who will not hesitate to kill them."

Probing the killing

One policeman's life lost was one too many, and enough was enough, the minister said.

He welcomed Gauteng police commissioner Petros's appointment of senior detectives to investigate the murder.

Police were waiting for an autopsy report on the cause of death.

Petros said there were no gunshot wounds.

A team of detectives under the leadership of the deputy provincial commissioner for detective services, Major General Tebello Mosikili, and investigators from the provincial investigation unit and organised crime would investigate the murder.

- SAPA
Read more on: police | mzwandile petros | nathi mthethwa | pretoria | crime