Zukile Majovaa
It has been a heavy week for the police service, which had to bury six of its officers who all lost their lives on the same day in two separate road accidents.
Four police officers and a civilian died instantly when their state vehicle collided head-on with a truck outside Engcobo in the Eastern Cape.
On the same day, two officers from Harding Police Station in KZN died after they were struck by a vehicle while they were investigating the scene of a traffic accident.
The four SAPS members, aged between 31 and 35, were Constable Buqaqawuli Nyembezi, Constable Frank Lila, Constable Lungelo Nogqala, and Ntombikayise Landu. Landu was secretary to the District Commander of the Alfred Nzo District.
On Monday, Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga and police officers from the SAPS Junior Management Core were at Sugarbush village near Mount Ayliff for the funeral of Constable Frank Lila, who had been with the service for 10 years.
The core chairperson, Tabisa Ulana, said: “The sun set at noon for all of us when the untimely tragedy struck at Engcobo during a Gender-Based Violence operation.”
The two officers from KZN were Sergeant Alfred Gqumani, 36, and Constable Sifiso Ngcobo, 34.
National Commissioner General Khehla Sitole said: The news of their untimely passing has sent shockwaves through the corridors of every police precinct in the country.”
He thanked their families for allowing their children to serve the people of the country with diligence.
