AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
ON a cloudy day in Pretoria, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa met with each of the 34 families of police officers who died in the line of duty in the past year.
Ramaphosa spent time individually with widows, widowers, sisters, brothers and the children of officers to reinforce a message he had delivered in the keynote speech at the National Police Commemoration Day.
The President said: “Nothing can ever take away the pain of losing a loved one. And yet amid the despair and sorrow, there is a firm determination that the lives lost should not be dishonoured. Let us today thank our fallen heroes and heroines posthumously for their sacrifices. Let us cherish the memories they have left behind whether as family members or colleagues.
“Quite understandably, some of us here may still be angry and hurt by the manner in which our loved ones perished. I want to urge everyone today that in the memory of our departed loved ones, let us transform that anger and hurt into a sense of determination to jointly rid our streets of all forms of crime.”
Ramaphosa urged South Africans to partner with the police in the fight against crime and called for the strengthening of the Community Police Forums (CPFs).
“It is because of structures such as the Community Police Forums that police, the SANDF and other law enforcement agencies were able to contain the violence and looting that erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July. Criminals live with us and among us in our communities.
“We must therefore work towards strengthening community-police relations and bring strategic stakeholders on board to bolster the efforts of police to bring down the levels of serious and violent crime. I believe that the arrest of one hardened criminal, or even the recovery of one illegal firearm could spare the life of one police officer.
“Let us as civilians, therefore, get into the habit of reporting crime and making our voices heard. The perpetrators of these attacks on police must be found and brought to book. The fight against crime cannot be won by the police on their own. Let us all present here today make a renewed commitment to unite and work together to ensure that those who are responsible for crime pay for their deeds. The debt of gratitude we owe our fallen men and women in blue is eternal. It can only be repaid by the full attainment of the highest ideals for which they laid down their lives,” he said.
In his address, General Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police also called for communities to stop being bystanders. He said: “The loss of 34 SAPS officers should remind us of the importance of community policing partnerships, we can no longer afford to be bystanders in our communities. Each day we all should work better at being active citizens.”
The SA President also paid tribute to the 840 officers and support staff who succumbed to COVID-19. “It is important that we remember them because as we urged everyone to stay home as part of our fight against the deadly virus, police officers were in the streets enforcing the lockdown regulations for the safety of all South Africans,” he said.
