By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa joined families of the police officers and reservists who lost their lives in the line of duty at the annual South African Police Service (SAPS) Commemoration Day.
The commemoration took place at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Memorial Site at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
This year’s event commemorates members of the SAPS who have fallen in the line of duty in the 12 months between 01 April 2021 and 31 March 2022.
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.
As part of the Commemoration day activities, the President, together with the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Fannie Masemola and the next of kin of the fallen heroes and heroines, were laying wreaths in honour of the deceased members.
In his welcoming address, police minister Cele said two years of Covid-19 restrictions had deprived officers of “the opportunity to gather in our collective grief to mourn the passing of our colleagues” and “made us drastically downscale the way in which we commemorated those officers who died with their boots on”.
“It is the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic that we are able to host this commemoration day ceremony, with full-scale attendance,” Cele told the gathering, that this year included justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola, deputy police minister Cassel Mathale, chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on police Tina Joemat-Pettersson, national police commissioner Gen Masemola, families of the fallen police officers and others.
On Saturday morning Sgt Vakele Mark Mjoli, 43, was shot dead in Engcobo. He was part of a four-member crime prevention response team called out to an armed business robbery in progress at a retail chain store.
Mjoli approached a man in security gear standing at the entrance, and asked where the suspects were. The man directed Mjoli to the doorway and then shot him. His colleagues ran to his aid and were ambushed by gunmen inside the store who fired at them. Const Mfundiso Ndede, 35, suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital.
Two suspects were killed in the shoot-out, one was arrested and two escaped.
Ramaphosa said the SAPS National Commemoration Day should serve to not only pay tribute to the fallen men and women in blue but also to mobilise society against the killing of officers.
The President said no society can remain silent when criminals have clearly declared war on the police.
Our men and women in blue represent the authority of the State and any attack on them is a direct attack on the State and an attack on the people. If criminals bother to read history, they must know that no one has ever defeated the people.
“Those responsible for police killings, who have not yet been arrested, must know that wherever they are, they will be found and they will face the full might of the law,” the President said.
Ramaphosa urged the Police Ministry to drive the process of ensuring that SAPS is adequately resourced to prevent, combat and investigate police killings.
Livestream Video Below:
Video Courtesy of ENCA.