PORT ELIZABETH - METRO OFFICER GUNNED DOWN AND PASSENGER WOUNDED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

A Nelson Mandela Bay traffic officer has been gunned down in an early morning hit.

Victoria Drive in Walmer has been cordoned off after a 60-year-old metro traffic officer was gunned down Tuesday morning.

Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the traffic officer was driving through Walmer township at about 7.30am when he was approached by an unidentified suspect who opened fire on his vehicle.

She says after the shots were fired the victim's car veered off the road and through a fence.

“The officer was fatally wounded.

“He had a passenger who was shot and wounded in the hand and she has been taken to hospital,” Naidu said.

The motive for the incident is unknown at this stage and police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality issued the following statement:

The Safety and Security directorate expressed its shock and dismay following the brutal murder of a veteran officer who served the traffic law enforcement fraternity diligently for 33 years.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security for Safety and Security Queenie Pink voiced her concern that the life of a dedicated traffic officer could be snuffed out so callously.

"I would like to express my sincere condolences to the bereaved family and the broader traffic law enforcement family of the deceased.

"I trust that the South African Police Services will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to book,” MMC Pink said.

The well respected senior traffic officer from KwaMagxaki sadly passed after his official vehicle veered off the road in the vicinity of Walmer Links and hit a fence with the ominous echo of gunshots still ringing in the air.

Head of Traffic and Licensing Warren Prins said the incident is a sad reminder of the dangerous working environment law enforcement officers and first responders face on a daily basis.

"We will take comfort from the fact that our colleague died while serving his community with pride but we cannot help to think that he only had a few years left before his retirement.

"He was in his early sixties and a man of faith. He will be sorely missed. May his dear soul rest in peace,” Prins said.

The officer, who joined the traffic department in 1987, currently served in the Transportation Unit of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Traffic Department.

Ends

Issued on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality by Municipal Spokesman Kupido Baron


via - ALGOAFM / HERALDLIVE / NELSONMANDELABAYMETRO /pic via ATLAS