Off Duty Metro Cop Shot and Wounded at Community Roadblock in Durban
- The head of the eThekwini Metro Police Department shared a post on social media about the shooting of an off-duty officer
- According to Steve Middleton, the metro officer's car was riddled by bullets by community members who blocked a road
- Middleton stated that it is not legal to limit the number of people who enter a road nor is it legal to block the road or prohibit movement
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An off-duty Metro Police officer was reportedly wounded at a community roadblock in Montclair, Durban. The officer's vehicle was allegedly packed with bullets shot at him by civilians who created a roadblock in the area.
Citizens in KwaZulu-Natal have taken matters into their own hands, especially in the suburban areas. Members of the public are reportedly standing against the violence and looting that has plagued parts of South Africa.
A number of videos circulation on social media have shown community members across KZN arming themselves and protecting homes, stores and businesses from looters and rioting.
Source: Getty Images
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The Citizen reported that Steve Middleton, the head of the eThekwini Metro Police Department, called on Community Policing Forums to take their roadblocks down. In a post online, Middleton shared an image of the Metro cop whose car was riddled with bullets.
Middleton wrote that although there is a right to have CPF structures through legislation, people have no right to shoot a metro officer the way they did, nor do they have the right to block public roads.
"This is illegal," he said.
The South African reported that Middleton reiterated that no vigilante group has the right to prohibit or limit access to areas.
South Africa's unrest makes international headlines as vigilantism takes over
Previously, Briefly News reported that international reports have revealed that senior officials in South Africa have asked ordinary citizens within the country to not take the law into their own hands. Vigilante groups from KZN and Gauteng have formed over the past few days to protect areas from looting and violent protests.
The violence has swathed the country as thousands of soldiers have been deployed to help the South African Police Services on the streets. Law enforcement agencies, at the moment, seem to be unable to curb the onslaught and attacks by large crowds on various areas,
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nwakula stated on Wednesday, 14 July, to Parliament that she had requested approximately 25 000 more soldiers to be deployed on the streets of the country.
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Source: Briefly News
