Police Minister visits late Olga Kekana's family
The Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa has today, Tuesday 13 October 2009, visited the family of the late Ms Olga Kekana who was allegedly shot by police in Mabopane, north of Pretoria on Sunday morning.
"We are here today to express our sincerest condolences to the whole Kekana family following the unfortunate loss of life of your daughter. As the leadership of the police, we regret this unfortunate incident and wish to express our sympathy. The police have a duty to fight crime while protecting the lives of citizens and this must be done within the boundaries of the law," said the Minister.
Ms Johanna Kekana, late Olga's mother on behalf of the family expressed her appreciation to the Minister taking time to come and pay condolences to the family during this difficult period.
Minister Mthethwa emphasised that the South African Police Service will cooperate fully with the investigators of the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) probing the circumstances of this incident. We call upon the public to give the ICD an opportunity to finalise their investigations.
"We also urge the public not to arrive at any unfounded conclusions pending these investigations by creating claims that this incident is a direct result of government's proposed legislative changes to Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The police leadership has emphasised and will continue to do so, that trigger happy members of the police must not think that this is a license to kill. It is a measure aimed specifically at serious violent crime and dangerous criminals, who place lives of both police officers and the public in danger. These amendments are accompanied by the strengthening of the ICD. This will ensure that whatever approach we develop has in-built checks and balances to prevent abuse by police," said Minister Mthethwa.
The Ministry of Police once again conveys its deepest sympathies to the Kekana family, relatives and friends.
Statement issued by the Ministry of Police, October 13 2009
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