Two SAPS officers killed on duty in the Free State

Two members of the South African Police Service have been killed on duty while manning a road block in the Free State. The members were on the R594 road on the evening of 1 May when they were struck by a motorist allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

“At about 8:15 last night two members, a Warrant Officer and a Sergeant, of the Deneysville SAPS were on duty on the R594 road inspecting a truck under the Covid-19 Regulations when they were both killed,” said the spokesperson for the National Commissioner, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, in a statement on Saturday, 2 May.

“A driver of a 1400 light delivery vehicle (LDV), who was allegedly heavily under the influence of alcohol, had collided into both the policemen despite them being attired in reflector jackets.”

Naidoo said the man was arrested at the scene and faces charges of culpable homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as contravention of disaster management regulations.

Police commissioner expresses shock and outrage

The National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla Sitole has expressed shock at the deaths of the police officers. Sitole voiced his outrage at the news and has called for speedy justice.

“We trust that the man responsible for their deaths, who is currently behind bars, will be served with a deserving punishment if convicted,” he said. “The untimely passing of our two colleagues is indeed a bitter pill to swallow.”

Drink driving has dropped considerably during lockdown

Ironically, drink driving offences have reduced considerably during lockdown.

In Cape Town, for example, the city’s Safety and Security Directorate released figures last week showing only one motorist had been arrested for driving under the influence during the lockdown period to date. By comparison, during the same period in 2019 there were 157 drink driving arrests.