Ramaphosa Pays Tribute to Fallen Police, Calls for Stronger Community Responsibility

Pretoria, The Gulf Observer: South Africa has honoured 12 police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, with President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for stronger national efforts to protect those entrusted with safeguarding communities and upholding the rule of law.

Speaking at the South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commemoration Day ceremony at the Union Buildings on Sunday, President Ramaphosa described the annual event as a national covenant of remembrance, accountability and renewal, dedicated to honouring officers who made the ultimate sacrifice and supporting the families they left behind.

“This year, we remember 12 members who lost their lives in the line of duty during the last financial year. Nine of these members were from Gauteng, with one each from the North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga,” Ramaphosa said.

The annual commemoration is held on the first Sunday of September to remember police officers who died while serving during the preceding 12 months. This year’s ceremony honoured officers who died between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

The President highlighted the personal tragedies behind the names on the Roll of Honour, noting that among the bereaved families was a pregnant wife whose husband was killed in the line of duty and another family whose father and husband died leaving behind seven-month-old twins.

The only woman among this year’s fallen officers was a mother of three who served at Temba Police Station.

“Behind every police killing is a family story that has been permanently rewritten. The circumstances of these deaths should concern us deeply,” Ramaphosa said.

Several of the officers were killed while working the same shift, responding to reports of business robberies or transporting awaiting-trial prisoners. Others lost their lives while conducting routine crime prevention and patrol operations within their respective precincts. The youngest officer was 25 years old.

“Today we remember them not as statistics, but as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, colleagues and friends, who went to work to protect their fellow South Africans and never returned home,” the President said.

The 12 fallen officers honoured during the ceremony were Constable Gift Mota, Sergeant Sello Raymond Sema, Sergeant Matome Rapetsoa, Sergeant Simon Masenye, Constable Mwazkhe Khoza, Warrant Officer Mosesi Moswana, Constable Moselalelelo Montja, Constable George Hlekiso, Sergeant Sanele Dlamini, Warrant Officer Vuyisile Sintwa, Constable Sharon Hlangoane and Sergeant Lawrence Mtsweni.

Their names have been added to the SAPS Roll of Honour to ensure that their service and sacrifice remain permanently part of South Africa’s national memory.

Call for collective action against crime

President Ramaphosa urged South Africans to look beyond the immediate response to police killings and consider the broader societal conditions that contribute to attacks on law enforcement officers.

“We must confront a difficult question: what kind of society kills those entrusted to protect it, and what must we do to change it?” he said.

He warned that attacks against police officers represent an assault not only on individuals but also on the integrity of the state, the rule of law and South Africa’s constitutional order.

The President called for a broader national response to crime based on responsible citizenship, respect for the law, rejection of corruption, reporting of criminal activity and greater efforts to instil respect for human life among young people.

He said preventing crime also requires sustained investment in families, schools, early childhood development, youth programmes and sports initiatives to build resilience and reduce young people’s vulnerability to criminal networks.

While the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has declined significantly in recent years, Ramaphosa stressed that every loss of life remains unacceptable.

He attributed the reduction partly to operational interventions, police safety initiatives, community partnerships and cooperation between government and the private sector.

Support urged for families of fallen officers

The President also called for stronger private-sector support for children who lose parents in the line of duty.

Since its establishment in 2010, the South African Police Service Education Trust (SAPSET) has supported 2,215 children of fallen police officers, with more than R25 million raised through sponsorships.

“This investment changes lives. Children, who once faced uncertainty, have graduated. Some have obtained Master’s and PhD degrees,” Ramaphosa said.

He appealed to South African businesses to provide sustainable donations and scholarship opportunities through SAPSET, enabling children of fallen officers to overcome the consequences of loss and build successful futures.

However, the President acknowledged that financial and institutional support could never replace the loved ones lost by the families.

“No ceremony can replace a husband or wife. No pension can compensate for the loss of a father or mother, and no tribute can return a parent to their children,” he said.

He pledged that the nation must ensure that the service of fallen officers is never forgotten and that their families remain part of the national family.

Addressing the children of the deceased officers, Ramaphosa said their parents had left them a legacy of courage, duty and service.

“Carry their names with pride and build lives worthy of their sacrifice,” he urged.

The President also paid tribute to the men and women who continue to serve in the SAPS uniform, saying the nation recognises their courage and the demands of their profession.

He called on South Africans to ensure that those who protect the country are themselves protected and supported by the society they serve.