'If the police are not safe‚ who can protect South Africans?' asks DA

If the police are no longer safe‚ who must South Africans trust for their protection? the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday.

The DA made the comment as it condemned the attack on the Engcobo police station in the Eastern Cape‚ which resulted in the loss of seven lives‚ including six South African Police Service members and an off-duty soldier.

“The DA is saddened by this act of senseless violence‚ and wishes to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims‚” DA shadow minister of police Zakhele Mbhele said in a statement.

“This tragedy speaks directly to the chronic lack of much-needed resources at our police stations which leads to a complete inability to fight the unacceptably high levels of crime.”

He said he and the leader of the DA in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Bobby Stevenson would visit the police station in a bid to find solutions to the challenges faced by this station.

“It is important that Minister Mbalula gets to the bottom of this incident and reports back to South Africa on ... the investigation and what steps are being taken to keep the police and our communities safe‚” Mbhele said.