The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has raised the alarm over a spate of attacks targeting its officers, traffic wardens and security personnel, with three officials attacked within a week.
The latest incident occurred on Thursday, 1 October 2026, when JMPD Traffic Warden Reagan Joseph was shot and fatally wounded while sitting in his private vehicle, a white Volkswagen Citi Golf.
Two children were reportedly inside the vehicle at the time of the attack.
According to the JMPD, one of the children sustained a gunshot wound to the head, while the condition of the second child was still being assessed.
Joseph was declared dead at the scene.
The department said emergency services and other relevant role players responded, while a police investigation is underway.
The latest shooting follows two separate attacks on JMPD personnel in the space of two days.
On Saturday, 26 September, 34-year-old JMPD Security Officer Kwanele Buthelezi was allegedly abducted during a carjacking in Lenasia South.
He was later found murdered in Finetown, Grasmere.
The following day, Sunday, 27 September, another JMPD officer was hijacked and shot in Finetown, Grasmere.
The officer remains in hospital.
The JMPD said all three officials were off duty when they were attacked.
The department condemned the incidents, describing the attacks as a serious threat to the safety of personnel and communities.
“Attacks on law enforcement officers, traffic wardens, and security staff represent a direct assault on the rule of law and community safety,” the department said.
JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said the department was deeply concerned by the incidents.
The JMPD extended its condolences to Joseph and Buthelezi’s families, friends and colleagues.
It also wished the injured officer and child a full recovery.
The department has appealed to anyone with information about the attacks to come forward.
The JMPD said it was working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and would pursue the suspects responsible for the attacks.
The motive behind the latest shooting and whether the three incidents are connected have not been established.
