Suspected extortionist killed by police in Mthatha

Three suspects have been shot and killed by police in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

It’s believed that one of the suspects is Dalindzolo Mareke who is alleged to be amongst extortionists who were demanding a protection fee from residents of Mthatha West.

Details around the shooting incident are still sketchy at the moment but it’s reported that the incident occurred near Mthatha West.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron earlier today said it’s clear that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is determined to tackle extortion in the country.

Yesterday, Mchunu revealed plans in the National Assembly to tackle escalating extortion.

Cameron has warned that extortion poses a significant threat to the country’s economy and social fabric if not dealt with swiftly.

“We cannot expect to fix it on the outside if we’re not clean on the inside. Within the SAPS there are far too many questionable appointments. We really have a challenge with regards to corruption in the SAPS and if we don’t confront that head on we can’t expect change. And so we should bolster investigative capacity, we need to make sure that the Hawks function the way they should. I think there’s a lot more that could be done a little bit faster. And we need to make sure that there’s an integration between the NPA and this investigative capacity.”