Several bullet holes depict the intense gunfire police officers from Cato Manor SAPS came under in August 2026.
Image: Zainul Dawood
A total of 17 police officers lost their lives, six of them on duty, between April and June 2026, the latest crime statistics revealed.
The crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year from April to June 2026 were released on August 28.
According to the statistics, eleven police officers died while off-duty.
Of the 17 incidents, seven were reported in the Eastern Cape, two in Gauteng, six in KwaZulu-Natal and two in the Western Cape. Police were killed on duty in South Africa while conducting crime prevention duties, following up on information, or while responding to a complaint.
In Durban, police from Cato Manor escaped death when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. The bullet holes in the vehicle showed how close the policemen came to death. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers in Cato Manor were doing their routine crime prevention and stop-and-search duties when they spotted a silver Toyota Etios which was parked at Bonela sports field along Raymond Road.
"Police approached the vehicle, and they found two occupants inside the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the recovery of an AK-47 assault rifle and four fully loaded magazines," he said.
Netshiunda said the suspects were arrested.
Netshiunda said while police were driving on Dunbar Road towards a police station to formally charge the suspects, they were followed by two vehicles, a white Toyota Double Cab and a white Toyota Corolla Cross.
"The arrested suspects warned police officers to drive off because the occupants of those vehicles were going to shoot at them," Netshiunda said.
He said the suspects informed the police that they were waiting for the very same vehicles to deliver another AK-47 for a cash-in-transit robbery which was planned for August 25.
"Police indeed sped off but found themselves under heavy gunfire from the occupants of the two vehicles. The presence of several members of the public prevented police from returning fire to avoid calamity; instead, police drove tactically until they found refuge at a police station," Netshiunda said.
Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) said they are investigating the Cato Manor incident.
“We can confirm that the accused briefly appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court and one of them was released. Makhosonke Zungu, aged 60, was remanded in custody and will re-appear in court in late September 2026.
Bullet holes to the passenger door of the patrol vehicle depict the intense gunfire police officers from Cato Manor SAPS came under in August 2026.
Image: Zainul Dawood
Incidents involving the murder of police officers came into focus following the murder of two police officers in Reiger Park on August 7.
Anti-Gang Unit officers Constables Thapelo Tlomatsana, 29, and Sphiwe Sibeko, 28, as well as civilians Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman were killed.
Police have said the officers were conducting crime-prevention patrols in the area when they heard the gunshots which killed the women. They drove towards the source of the gunfire and were allegedly ambushed.
Reagan Cheslin Collis, 23, Jamal Meyer, 24, and Elvino Levert Crafford, 27, applied for bail in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court. The presiding officer postponed the bail applications to September 8.
Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia hailed the bravery of the South African Police Service (SAPS) as they kicked off the Police Safety Month.
The service raises safety awareness and operational readiness among its members, as well as remembering those who have fallen in the line of duty on SAPS National Commemoration Day this Sunday.
“The recent killing of two members of the Anti-Gang Unit in Reiger Park has once again reminded us of the dangers faced daily by our law enforcement officers. We also mourn the passing of Captain Zamani Mzayiya, a member of the Tactical Response Team, who was shot in Knysna while investigating the murder of a former Mayor and Councillor, Aubrey Tsengwa,” he said.
Cachalia said these attacks are not simply attacks on individual police officers. They are attacks on the rule of law.
“They are attacks on every South African who depends on law enforcement for protection. The loss of even a single police officer is a loss to the entire nation. Behind every badge is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a friend and a colleague," Cachalia said.
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