South African police fuel rage

Johannesburg: Police allegedly fired more than a dozen rounds at a car they mistakenly thought was stolen, killing a woman and fuelling a debate about whether officers should have greater leeway to use deadly force to combat South Africa's high crime rate.

The fatal shooting comes just weeks after President Jacob Zuma said in a speech that South African police could use lethal force if their lives or the lives of civilians were threatened. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa visited the woman's family on Tuesday, underscoring the sensitivity of the issue.

Police opened fire at a car carrying 30-year-old Olga Kekana and four others early on Sunday near Pretoria. Kekana was shot in the head and died at the scene. Two others in the car were wounded but the driver was unhurt.

Moses Dlamini, spokesman for the Independent Complaints Directorate that is now investigating the shootings, said on Tuesday the policemen's weapons had been taken as part of the investigation, but that they were still at work and had not been disciplined.

"There hasn't been any suspension. There hasn't been any arrest," he said. "At this point we don't know who fired the shot that killed the lady. There are so many question marks here that it is difficult to say."

Witnesses said that police did not warn them before opening fire around 5am on Sunday, Dlamini said.

"According to the driver, shortly after they saw police blue lights there were shots fired at them," he said.

The driver stopped and put on his emergency lights, and then tried to get out of the car when more shots were fired, Dlamini said.

‘Disgusting action'

Driver Simon Mathibela told The Star newspaper that after the shooting, the police stopped to look at the car and its wounded occupants and then left the scene without offering to help.

"When they realized we were the wrong people, they kept on saying sorry," he said. "The police action is disgusting."

Mthethwa, the police minister, visited Kekana's family on Tuesday in the town of Mabopane, near Pretoria.

"We regret this unfortunate incident and wish to express our sympathy," Mthethwa said in a statement. "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."

Ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi said the government was talking to the family about compensation but did not give details.

Louisa Kekana said on Tuesday that her cousin Olga was a self-employed hairdresser. "She loved to laugh and was very talkative," she said.

South Africa is struggling to control its high crime rate before next year's World Cup, when about 500,000 visitors are expected.

Government crime statistics released in September show that South Africa's murder rate dropped 3.4 per cent. That still leaves 50 murders a day in the country of some 50 million people.

Sunday's shooting prompted questions about whether authorities had gone too far in trying to cut crime.

"This is a strong message to officers that they can shoot first and ask questions later," read an editorial in The Times, a Johannesburg newspaper.

Mnisi said he didn't think Sunday's shooting was a result of the debate over police use of force.