South Africa has been hit by yet another brutal murder of police officers, with two Eastern Cape officers gunned down in Libode near Mthatha in the early hours of Friday morning.
According to police, the officers, aged 30 and 52, from the Mthatha National Intervention Unit and the Mthatha Public Order Policing Unit, were responding to reports of an attack on a spaza shop when they came under fire.
It is alleged that armed suspects were attacking the shop and demanding money from the operator.
When officers arrived to assist, they were ambushed and shot.
They were later found with fatal gunshot wounds, and their service pistols were missing.
Police have now launched a manhunt and opened a case docket investigating two counts of murder, two counts of attack on police, two counts of robbery of police firearms and one count of attempted business robbery.
The killings come just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa honoured 12 fallen officers at the annual SAPS National Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The country has seen a steady stream of police murders in the past year alone.
In the first quarter of this financial year, from April to June 2026, 17 officers were killed nationally – six on duty and 11 off duty.
Seven of those murders were reported in the Eastern Cape, six in KwaZulu-Natal, and two each in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
In Gauteng, which remains the deadliest province for police, nine of the 12 officers commemorated this year were killed. In KwaZulu-Natal, police in Cato Manor narrowly escaped death recently when gunmen opened fire on their patrol vehicle during routine stop-and-search duties.
While the figures remain alarming, they point to a gradual improvement. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane said the number of officers killed in the line of duty has dropped from 39 in 2023/24 to 27 in 2024/25, and further down to 12 in the 2025/26 period. Of the 12 officers honoured this year, 11 died from gunshot wounds sustained while on operations or responding to robbery incidents.
The Hawks have prioritised cases involving the killing of police officers, with over 20 suspects arrested in the last year and 11 already convicted and handed sentences including life imprisonment.
In Libode, police have appealed for community assistance to trace the suspects who fled with the officers’ firearms.
