Police killings must stop, says Ramaphosa
SAPS has honoured 34 of its slain police officers, four being females, who were killed over 12 months. Unfortunately, the cop killings have not ended, with several more being slain on and off duty this year.
The president has called for an end to police killings.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was speaking at the remembrance ceremony of 34 police officers who died in the line of duty in the past year.
The 30 slain men and four women in blue had their names inscribed on the Memorial Wall at the Union Buildings on September 3, with their devastated family members in attendance.
The fallen officers’ names were inscribed on a wall to symbolise their contributions to the fight against crime and efforts to safeguard South Africans.
The commemoration is an annual event and this year’s procession was attended by the president, together with the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, national commissioner of the South African police service, General Fannie Masemola and the fallen heroes and heroines’ next of kin, who laid wreaths in honour of the deceased.
Cele said: “While the sun shines on us this morning as we gather in the Capital city, sadly, the sun set prematurely on 34 of our own.”
“From April last year to March 2023, 34 officers, including four women were brutally killed while on duty in South Africa.”
Ramaphosa said the annual ceremony paid tribute to the officers and reservists who had lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Annually, on the first Sunday of September, the SAPS dedicates this day in its calendar to remember its men and women in blue who paid the ultimate price to serve and protect all people living in South Africa.”
He said the engraving of the names signified the gratitude of the nation for the law enforcement members’ bravery and loyalty to serve and protect all communities.
“These were members who knew the risks and dangers associated with this vocation, yet they remained committed to the cause of serving and protecting all people within [the] South African borders.”
Ramaphosa said: “Attacks on police officers must come to an end and there must be justice for the families of our fallen heroes and heroines.”
He said the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) had arrested 76 suspected police murderers in the past year.
“These cases are currently before different courts.
“A total of 488 suspects have been arrested for the deaths of police officers since 2018.
Ramaphosa said this was because of diligent investigative work.
He said life sentences totalling 158 years in prison had been handed down to nine convicted police killers.
The president called on the minister to ensure the safety of his staff as they performed law enforcement duties.
“Far too many of our officers are dying on duty. The South African police management needs to improve the wellness of police officers.”
Ramaphosa thanked the family members who attended the event.
“Thank you for having the strength to arrive, as this is not an easy moment.”
On August 6, Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Mathipa was shot dead while driving on the N1 near the Hammanskraal Toll Plaza.
The Gauteng Hawks serious organised crime investigator was on duty at the time.
Police said: “The colonel sustained gunshot wounds to the head and lost control of the vehicle, which rolled and landed in the ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
A case of murder was opened at Hammanskraaal Police Station, to be investigated by Mathipa’s colleagues.
On June 8, a member of the Hawks technical operation management services was killed in a shootout with suspects during a Mamelodi operation.
The three suspects were also killed in the incident.
According to Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo, police were shot at as they approached a shack in the Lusaka informal settlement to investigate a tip-off that high-calibre rifles had been hidden there. Several firearms were seized.
In June, a 55-year-old off-duty police officer was shot dead at his Hammanskraal home. Lieutenant-Colonel Lekone Morris Mohajane, a detective branch commander at Mooinooi Police Station, was killed during an apparent hijacking.
Mohajane was a seasoned police officer with 33 years of loyal service. At the time, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said police were searching for the killers.
In April, two police officers were killed in two separate incidents for their service pistols.
One, stationed at Hillbrow Police Station, was attacked in Soshanguve extension 8 on Saturday, April 22.
The constable had returned from participating in a soccer game at Kgosi Mampuru Prison and was later shot in the back in his room.
The attackers took his police service pistol and cellphone before fleeing.
The constable’s parents tried to save his life and rushed him to George Mukhari Hospital, where he died.
In the second attack, an on-duty police captain was shot in Montana on Sefako Makgatho Drive near the N1 South highway.
He was with his work partner when they were accosted by two criminals, who fled the scene with a service pistol after the shooting. Police launched a manhunt for the suspects.
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