Knysna police captain killed in shoot-out during firearm operation

A police operation targeting illegal firearms in Knysna turned deadly in the early hours of Wednesday, (August 26), when a 50-year-old police captain and a 38-year-old suspect were killed in a shoot-out at the Sewende Laan informal settlement on Uniondale Road, reports Knysna-Plett Herald.

The captain was attached to the provincial tactical response team and had been deployed in Knysna as part of investigations into the murder of ward councillor and former mayor Aubrey Tsengwa, as well as two other people killed in separate shooting incidents last week.

The SAPS’s integrated team was in the process of executing the operation after receiving information about illegal firearms when the shoot-out started. Two firearms were found in the possession of the suspect who was killed in the exchange of gunfire.

Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron paid tribute to the fallen officer while calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the operation.

“This cannot simply be recorded as another operational death. There must be a full debrief of what happened, proper support for the members involved and a clear investigation into the firearms that were recovered, including whether they can be linked to other crimes,” said Cameron.

He also highlighted the wider context of the violence in Knysna, where several people have been killed in recent days.

“Knysna has lost several people in a matter of days. Three suspects have appeared in court for Mr Tsengwa’s murder, while the investigations into the murders of Mandla Matiwane and Mandla Tyololo continue. Those investigations must now be pursued carefully and without delay,” he said.

Cameron said the officer should be remembered as more than a statistic.

“Behind the badge was a person with a family, colleagues and a life that mattered. We have a thin blue line of dedicated members willing to give their lives in the line of duty, the ultimate sacrifice.”

Psychosocial support is being provided to the SAPS team at the scene, as well as to the captain’s colleagues in Cape Town.

Three suspects have appeared in court in connection with Tsengwa’s murder, while investigations into the murders of Matiwane and Tyololo are continuing.

Matiwane (47), a former Garden Route District Municipality councillor, and Tyololo (48), his friend, were shot in Bongani, Knysna, on August 20, just a day after Tsengwa was killed.

Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi conveyed his condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased police official.

The circumstances surrounding the shoot-out remain subject to investigation.

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