Cele dismisses claims of foul play in Mariannhill shooting

DURBAN - Police Minister Bheki Cele has dismissed any claims of foul play in a shooting incident that claimed nine lives in Desia, Mariannhill, west of Durban.

Police officers killed nine suspected criminals in the community on Wednesday sparking both criticism and applause.

In response, Cele reiterated his controversial stance that police must return fire when targeted by alleged criminals.

The minister alongside top police brass visited the area on Thursday.

They sought to speak to residents to find out about their safety concerns, however, not a single person spoke out about such owing to fear.

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There has been mixed reaction from the public to the Mariannhill shooting incident.

Some people believe the police officers should not have killed the suspected criminals, while others say the police’s actions are justified.

Asked about the police's conduct during the shootout, Police Minister Bheli Cele said police don't target criminals to kill them.

"It cannot be true that these people are shot unprovoked, the investigations do tell us - we would love to arrest those people."

Cele also said police officers must protect themselves from suspected criminals during operations.

"But what I would love to see is that after these operations we bury police? I would definitely not like that - I would rather be put on the dock and answer for these activities and operations rather than burying the members of the South African Police [Service] as I have buried the members dying for this thing."

The Police Ministry intends to conduct an imbizo looking at the worrying crime rate in Mariannhill and surrounding areas.