An anti-gang unit member gunned down in Westbury while investigating a murder has been remembered as a humble and helpful gentlemen who was passionate about everything he touched.
Warrant officer Dalmain Morris was taking a statement from a witness when he was shot by suspects driving a white Renault Clio on Sunday evening.
According to reports, the witness and a bystander were also hit by bullets. Both sustained injuries and were transported to hospital.
Police minister Bheki Cele said that his partner and children witnessed the shooting and were receiving counselling.
“Maybe his death is linked to the question of why the crime intelligence has not had a take down there. This officer was working on a case of gangsterism which means that it's not true that police are not working on it. Even the killing and shooting of this officer is a push back of the work being done there,” he told reporters on Tuesday in Pretoria.
While the motive for Morris’s killing is still being investigated, police union Popcru revealed another reason police officers working on high-ranking or gang-related cases have become targets for criminals.
Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium, Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said: “We have been told that in the Western Cape mainly, apparently even outside prison gangs, members would be requested to kill an officer to get a higher ranking.”
He stressed, however, that cops being killed for their guns or in connection with the cases they were working on was also quite common.
Morris is one of at least three police officers who have been killed in recent days.
Last Friday, police officer Const Holeng Makobe was shot and killed while patrolling in Mabopane north of Pretoria. Makobe was searching a vehicle when he was killed and three other people injured. Four days earlier, a 37-year-old police sergeant was shot dead while off-duty and visiting a friend in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Friends and family took to social media to pay tribute to Morris as they shared their shock and heartbreak over his sudden death.
Among them was his best friend of more than 15 years, Duane Davids, who penned a moving tribute to his “brother and dearest friend” in a lengthy Facebook post. In it, Davids spoke at length about their years of friendship as a montage of the duo with Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves by Sylvester playing in the background.
A devastated Davids also spoke exclusively to TimesLIVE Premium about their friendship and Morris’s character on and off-duty.
“We crossed paths at the gym more than 15 years ago and we just developed a friendship. We liked the same things, we both had a passion for bodybuilding.
“He was a dedicated bodybuilder, he loved gym and bodybuilding. He used to take part in competitions. He was the type of guy who was very humble and never arrogant. He was always willing to help, especially when it came to other bodybuilders. He was a very helpful and giving person, a gentleman,” he fondly recalled.
Morris, 43, was also described as a good friend, who was not only there for the good times and to celebrate milestones, but through difficult moments when all Davids had to offer was “friendship and company”.
“Our friendship was very pure and unpretentious. We were open and honest with each other, and we both went through a lot of trauma in our lives with regards to divorce.
“I think that brought us closer, where if he needed a shoulder to cry on, he’d call me and open up and honestly tell me everything that was happening,” Davids said.
It remains unclear how long Morris worked as an officer, but according to Davids, by the time they met, the former was already a cop. There Morris displayed a passion and dedication to the craft, with his best friend explaining that he never let anything interfere with his work.
Davids described Morris as one of the “good guys” and a good cop.
Davids recalled his last conversation with Morris, who affectionately referred to the former as a big brother, saying that he had initially missed Morris’s call and only returned it hours later. This was unusual as Morris usually responded to returned calls days later due to the nature of his work.
“He called me last week and wanted to come over to my place. I actually missed his call and when I called him back, he said he was still busy with a suspect and he’s busy working but he’ll get back to me later and [arrange to] come and see me.”
“I was really happy that he actually answered the call last week and he was in high spirits and he said that he was in my area and wanted to come to see me. And he said he was back in the [Joburg] south and busy with a suspect but once he’s done there, he’s definitely going to come by. That was the last conversation,” he recalled.
Morris lived 45 minutes away from Davids in Lenasia with his oldest child, an 18-year-old boy, and also had a younger son and young daughter. According to Davids, Morris was the eldest of three children, was divorced and had a partner.
Davids said he would miss the lengthy calls they would share and the ease he felt around the veteran officer.
“He was such a genuine person. Whenever I was going through tough times, he wasn’t one to push me away. He was there for me and would come when all I had to offer was my company. He always looked after me ... and a quick visit would end with him staying over at my house every single time.
On a weekly basis we hear of either an injury or killing of an officer. Since the beginning of this year to date, we have lost 64 officers at the hands of criminals. The morale among members is clearly low.
— Richard Mamabolo, Popcru spokesperson
“He was the type of person who would disappear for two to three weeks a month and I’d know that he’s busy but out of the blue, he’d call me. That’s how our relationship was but these last couple of months, it felt like he contacted me more frequently and it was like ... maybe it was his intuition,” he said.
A prayer service will be held for Morris later this week at his home, while his funeral is expected to take place over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Mamabolo said police killings created low morale in the working field.
“On a weekly basis we hear of either an injury or killing of an officer. Since the beginning of this year to date, we have lost 64 officers at the hands of criminals. The morale among members is clearly low, and considering that most are killed for their firearms and the cases they are investigating, this creates uneasiness in this field of work,” he said.
Mamabolo urged officers to work in larger groups as the killings continue.
“We would like to urge members to try working in larger groups, be wary of their surroundings and if need be, act decisively when their lives are in danger. In essence, police officers should not die with their firearms.”
Mamabolo said lack of resources in the line of duty made the officers vulnerable to criminals.
“The lack of resources to carry out their duties and the declining staff complement are a factor. Between 2020-2022, the SAPS lost 11,178 members and in recent reports, it is said that in Gauteng, over 1,169 vehicles have been decommissioned. These are the daily challenges.”
South African Policing Union (SAPU) provincial secretary Jabu Mabaso described the Heritage weekend as a “gloomy” one for cops.
“These killings do not only end the life of that person targeted but it destroys the futures of those they were taking care of.
“We have called on the minister [Bheki Cele] and the commissioners of police to do justice for the lives of the members that are killed on duty. We do not want a social media outcry without working on legislating the proper laws that should ensure that maximum punishment is exercised through having police killings declared treason,” Mabaso said.
Mabaso said while police officers worked in extremely dangerous conditions, there was lack of support from senior managers.
“We demand that the Gauteng provincial commissioner [Elias Mawela] shows up and runs active strategies on the safety of the men and women in blue. We cannot sit back and watch our fellow colleagues perish and nothing is being done,” he said.
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