SAPS Kraaifontein Constable Shot at Mosque, Netizens Angered by Killing

• A South African Police Service (SAPS) clerk was shot and killed near a mosque in Athlone in Cape Town, Western Cape
• The incident happened as the constable and another woman were exiting their vehicle
• South Africans were worried about the police killing as SAPS investigates a case of murder

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

ATHLONE, WESTERN CAPE — The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Athlone n the Western Cape, is investigating a case of murder after a constable was shot and killed outside a mosque on 3 May 2025.

SAPS officer killed in Athlone

According to the South African Police Service, the 35-year-old officer was in a car with a 56-year-old woman in the afternoon when two armed men approached them as they were getting out of the car. They fired shots at them, and the officer, who was stationed at the Kraaifontein police station, was killed. The woman who was with her was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

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Families of the 3 dead SAPS constables to fetch their bodies from Gauteng

The police opened a murder and attempted murder case, which the Anti-Gang unit detectives will investigate. The police have called on members of the public to contact them with information that could lead to the suspects' arrests.

Police officers who were killed

• A SAPS member in the Free State was shot and killed in September 2024 when he and his colleagues responded to a house break-in
• A female officer from the Tshwane Metro Police Department was shot and killed by her boyfriend on 24 December
• A female Johannesburg Metro Police Department officer was gunned down outside of her home on 31 December while conducting New Year's Eve patrols
• A Limpopo man is on the run after he allegedly killed his SAPS officer girlfriend in her home on 25 January
• A KwaZulu-Natal police officer was shot multiple times and killed during a robbery in Inanda on 9 April

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General Fannie Masemola suspects that deceased SAPS constables died by accident

South Africans furious

Netizens commenting on SABC News' Facebook post were fed up with the killings.

Teddy Moonga said:

"Too many South African killings. For heaven's sake, can the president make a decisive decision?"

Modise Semara said:

"Criminals know that they will go to jail and eat pap and beans, and life goes on as normal."

Mhana Mesha N Oscar said:

"The police need to stop demanding and taking bribes, otherwise they won't win this battle. I'm not saying this is related."

Surprise Prino Nkwinika said:

"A lot is happening within SAPS, and honestly, it's scary. Every day, something is going down."

Thabiso Thaanyane asked:

"What is happening within SAPS? How will the members of SAPS protect society when it looks like they are the ones who need protection the most?"

SAPS officer kills himself after shooting girlfriend

In another incident, Briefly News reported that a Johannesburg-based police officer killed himself after shooting his lover. The incident happened in March 2025.

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Police divers retrieve constables' VW Polo from Hennops River, Mzansi questions condition of vehicle

The officer, stationed at the Parkview Police Station, allegedly shot his girlfriend several times at their flat in Doornfontein. She survived and was rushed to the hospital.

Source: Briefly News