Family of slain JMPD officer pleads with public to stop sharing video of his shooting

The family of JMPD officer Sibusiso Zikalala has pleaded with the public to stop sharing the video of him getting shot.

Zikalala was shot and killed allegedly by a SAPS member in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. He was buried at the weekend in Soweto.

Videos of the incident were shared on social media and showed two men having an altercation. Both men were said to be off-duty.

Speaking at his funeral, the family pleaded with the public to refrain from re-sharing or posting videos, saying they are traumatising the family, particularly his children.

“There's nothing we can do at this stage because the video has already gone viral.

“We are waiting for the investigation to be concluded. Everybody is making up their own assumptions about what happened on that day. Nobody knows what happened,” said the family.

Zikalala's sister, Lindiwe Zikalala, told TimesLIVE it was unfortunate that her brother's death was a trending topic on social media.

“There's a lot of speculations to the story. Whatever they saw was only one side. At the end of the day, there's not much we can do about social media because this matter is out of our control. People will decide what they want to believe but the truth will prevail and come out.

“The videos are trending and people are saying stuff about my brother and they forget that this is somebody's son, brother, and husband,” Lindiwe said.

Metro police spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the department was saddened at the loss.

“He had served the department well. He was working in the K9 unit where they deal with high-profile cases which involve syndicates and drug-related matters. He did his best to serve the residents of Johannesburg with dedication. We are saddened by his passing,” said Fihla.