Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has heeded the call of the Keppler family, saying that he will intensify the fight against Gender-Based Violence.

Lesufi was speaking at 22-year-old crime prevention warden Chesnay Keppler‘s funeral service at the Don Mateman Hall in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, on Saturday.

Keppler was brutally murdered by her 42-year-old police officer boyfriend, who shot her several times following a domestic dispute on Thursday last week.

The accused is currently in hospital under police guard, after trying to commit suicide when he was arrested for the alleged murder.

Lesufi says the accused must be held accountable for his brutal actions.

“He might not have represented the government but his deeds are an embarrassment to government. He might have not been sent by the law enforcement agencies, but his acts are the opposite of what law enforcement agencies should do. So, we come to you to say sorry and we come to you to apologise and he was not mandated and it was not our instruction and it was painful.”

According to the Independent Police Directorate, several shots were fired through the window, one of them was fatal. The suspect then shot himself to evade arrest. He is currently in hospital under police surveillance.

Earlier, Johannesburg’s MMC of Roads and Transport Kenny Kunene said such things cannot be taken lying down.