- Police Minister Bheki Cele says slain top cop Charl Kinnear was "failed by the police".
- The minister visited the Kinnear family on Saturday.
- He said Kinnear was the "best of the best".
Police Minister Bheki Cele has admitted that slain police detective Lieutenant Colonel Charl Kinnear was "failed" by the police.
The minister said this at a briefing in the Kinnear family's driveway after spending almost an hour with Kinnear's wife Nicolette and sons, Carlisle and Casleigh.
Kinnear was shot dead in front of his house in Bishop Lavis in Cape Town on Friday.
Cele said: "Yesterday I did speak to the president that issues here are serious.
"I must say unfortunately, at the moment, there are more questions than answers … but right now, as it stands, it does look like we have failed as the police. We could have done things better."
Cele said he would not hesitate to ask the president for additional resources, if needed, to track down Kinnear's killers.
'Top of the crop'
Kinnear, the minister said, had been "the top of the crop" – and had been ranked the top police investigator in the Western Cape, and number three in South Africa.
Kinnear had been "not just an ordinary human being, but an extraordinary human being".
The family had demanded of him that Kinnear could not become "a statistic". He said "they want to know what happened".
"It is clear we have lost a good man … Usually, police are lambasted … who nobody appreciates. By contrast, [the media] was unanimous ... that Kinnear was 'the best of the best'.
#CharlKinnear 1: National Police Minister Bheki Cele:Has admitted the police had "failed" assassinated SAPS officer Lt-Col Charl Kinnear - "the best of the best".He was flanked by Kinnear's wife Nicolette and sons Carlisle & Casleigh.@News24 (@MurrayRSA) pic.twitter.com/QpZ1VYvitp
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) September 19, 2020
"That tells you what kind of man we have lost," Cele said.
He confirmed that other police officers had received threats to their lives, including Major General Andre Lincoln, and would be protected.
Suspected assassination
Kinnear's killing is suspected to have been an assassination, although this has not been confirmed by police. They would also not speculate about the possible motive for the murder.
Residents in Bishop Lavis told News24 that shots were heard at around 15:00.
#CharlKinnear 4: The Kinnear Family National Police Minister Bheki Cele arrives at the home of assassinated Lt-Col Charl Kinnear in Bishop Lavis.Cele was first briefed by SAPS leadership on progress on the case, at police HQ in the city centre.@News24 (@MurrayRSA) pic.twitter.com/KipvEfzLvx
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) September 19, 2020
In a statement, national police commissioner General Khehla John Sitole said: "We are all saddened by this tragic untimely loss of Colonel Kinnear and his murder is huge loss to South Africa and its people."
Sitole tasked the provincial commissioner of the Western Cape, Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, with immediately activating the 72-Hour Activation Plan.
Kinnear was attached to the Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit as a section commander and was involved in investigations in several high-profile cases, which resulted in multiple arrests.