Grahamstown police have remained silent about the shooting of a suspected armed robber in Tantyi Location three weeks ago. 24-year-old Siyabonga Tembani was shot and killed by police, after he allegedly resisted arrest when police came to his home following his identification by a witness connecting him to an armed robbery.
Grahamstown police have remained silent about the shooting of a suspected armed robber in Tantyi Location three weeks ago. 24-year-old Siyabonga Tembani was shot and killed by police, after he allegedly resisted arrest when police came to his home following his identification by a witness connecting him to an armed robbery.
He was taken to Settlers Hospital, and referred to Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth the following morning, where he later died. Police have assisted the family in transporting the body from Port Elizabeth to Grahamstown last Monday.
The family are still struggling to make funeral arrangements, however, and hope to bury him later this week. Tembani's mother, Nonceba Tembani, 60, said she was battling to come to terms with what had happened. “It is a very, very tough battle at the moment, made worse by the fact that we have no answers as to why my son was killed.
She said the family was still in the dark as to what happened, and the police are not saying anything to her. At the time, Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed the incident and said that Siyabonga was being investigated in a recent case of armed robbery. "[He] fled when the police tried to apprehend him, and he was armed with a knife," Govender reported.
She said the police are investigating a case of murder, and the officer who shot him is still on duty. On Friday, Govender confirmed that the incident has been referred to the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), whose aim is to investigate complaints of misconduct and criminality committed by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), and to propose reforms to reduce the incidence of behaviour that gives rise to such complaints. She said the ICD have advised the local police to investigate the matter locally.
