DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has vowed to catch the killers of a murdered policeman "dead or alive."
Captain Louis Nel, who served in the elite Special Task Force and the crime intelligence division, was ambushed in Mount Edgecombe last week.
He was laid to rest in Durban.
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Nel was remembered as a career policeman who served in the Special Task Force, the SAPS's most elite unit.
At the time of his death, the 52-year-old had just rejoined the crime intelligence division, with a promotion to captain.
"Having worn the badge, having gone through the trouble that Captain Nel has gone through, I understand the pain and the anger that the members, especially the members of Special Task Force, will have on this day.
"That one criminal is able to eliminate one of our operators, the highly trained member of the Special Task Force," Mkhwanazi said as he assured that the killers would be found," Mkhwanazi said.
Nel’s uniform or rank did not define him.
He was also a loving father, husband, and passionate biker.
Nel's sister-in-law, Stephani Gordon, said he played an important part in her life.
"Officially, Louis was my brother-in-law, but in every way that really mattered, he was my dad. He raised me, he shaped me, and he stood in the place of strength, guidance, and safety," she said.
Investigations into the matter continue.