Cape Town – The City of Cape Town has reportedly offered a reward of R250 000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the shooting of a Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officer in Nyanga on Friday night.
The incident occurred while the officer, Zanikhaya Kwinana, and his colleagues were driving in a marked Law Enforcement vehicle on Miller Road, News24 reported.
The gunman opened fire, hitting the vehicle with around 13 bullets, and Kwinana sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head. His colleagues rushed him to the hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.
Mayor Geordin-Hill Lewis has offered the maximum reward to aid in finding the officer’s killers.
The shooting took place amid ongoing taxi protests in the area, which have caused disruption and violence.
The Nyanga Community Policing Forum chairperson expressed shock and devastation over the officer’s killing and called for an end to the taxi strike to prevent further loss of life.
NDABANEWS: #TaxiStrike|#TaxiWar|#TaxiViolence – reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of those responsible for gunning down a Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officer in Nyanga on Friday night.
Zanikhaya Kwinana, 33, and two colleagues… pic.twitter.com/sPNaLtdHWv
— Thulani Ndaba (@tndaba) August 5, 2023
The incident is under investigation by the Western Cape police, and it is yet to be determined if the attack is directly related to the taxi strike.
This is the second LEAP officer to be shot dead in less than a week, following the death of another officer, Toufeeq Williams, who was killed by a stray bullet while off duty in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain.
Meanwhile, according to Times Live, the DA Western Cape spokesperson for community safety Gillion Bosman said the party condemned the incident.
“That LEAP officers travelling in an official vehicle were so clearly and brazenly attacked demonstrates that the ongoing atmosphere of lawlessness resulting from the Western Cape taxi strike has gone too far. The strike has lost any sense of legitimacy and has now become nothing more than an excuse for public violence, murder and intimidation.
“The DA in the Western Cape sends its condolences to Officer Kwinana’s family, friends and colleagues, and demands that every law-enforcement entity in the Western Cape works together as one to bring the perpetrators to book. There can be no excuse for this heinous act.”
“Those who have condoned the lawlessness and unrest caused by this strike are complicit in Officer Kwinana’s death. By encouraging chaos, a volatile situation has been created which has resulted in tragic and unnecessary bloodshed. I hope those parties who have declared themselves in support of the strike will now take the time to reconsider. This has moved from industrial action to an outright attack on decency and the rule of law in our country,” Bosman said.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Twitter/@tndaba
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
