Cape Town – One of the five people shot dead in Gugulethu on Saturday has been identified as a SA Police Service (SAPS) officer who worked as a bodyguard to a deputy minister.
Commenting on the shooting on Sunday, Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale said he sent his condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of his close protector, Warrant Officer Lindela Mraqisa.
Warrant Officer Mraqisa was among the five people shot and killed on Saturday evening in Gugulethu.
The police officer was attached to the Western Capes Protection and Security Service (PSS) Division and served as a close protector to Deputy Minister Mathale since 2019.
Police have since mobilised maximum resources to trace and apprehend those behind the attack and killing of the four men and a woman.
Deputy Minister Mathale described Warrant Officer Mraqisa as dedicated, humble, and hardworking.
The number of police officers killed on and off duty remains a concern for the leadership of the SAPS,” said Deputy Minister Mathale.
“We need the whole of society and government to fight this scourge.
“Mraqisa was a soft-spoken, dedicated, and focused police officer who was always punctual and professional in his conduct.
“We hope police will find and bring to book those responsible for his death. My condolences go to his family.
In a related development, the Police Minister General Bheki Cele, and the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola will lead a delegation of senior police officers to Cape Town on Monday, (2 October 2023).
The minister and police top brass are expected to interact with the investigating team and also visit the bereaved family.
They will thereafter proceed to the family of another off-duty police officer, who was found dead in Mfuleni on Sunday morning.
The 29-year-old policewoman was attached to the Samora Machel Police Station.
The circumstances surrounding her death are the subject of a police investigation.
One suspect has been arrested in connection with her death.
The SAPS appeals to members of the public to assist with information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators behind the mass shooting.
