Deputy President Paul Mashatile says touching a police officer must carry the harshest punishment.
Mashatile was speaking at the SAPS National Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings on Sunday, where 27 officers who died in the line of duty in the past financial year were honoured.
“Attacking a police officer is an attack on the state itself, and it will be met with the full might of the law. We want to make sure that even touching a police officer carries the harshest punishment permitted by our laws, and where possible tighten these laws,” Mashatile said.
He urged officers not to hold back when confronted with violent criminals. “You must not die with your service firearms in your holsters. You have a duty to protect your lives; this means you must use force that is proportional to the threat that you face. You must not surrender to any form of criminality.”
The ceremony took place against the backdrop of attacks on law enforcement officers. According to Mashatile, 66 police officers have been killed in the line of duty in the past two years — 39 in 2023/24 and 27 in 2024/25.
Among them was 26-year-old Constable Boikokobetso Retlotlisitswe Sonopo, killed in an ambush in Mount Fletcher, Eastern Cape, barely a year into his service and 59-year-old Lt-Col Pieter Pretorius, who was gunned down in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, a year before retirement.
Mashatile said government was intensifying efforts to protect officers, including resourcing specialised units, investing in advanced technology, strengthening intelligence capacity and tightening laws to “deal decisively with those who target police officers”.
He also acknowledged growing concerns over corruption and collusion within the SAPS. “We encourage all of you to uncover wrongdoing inside your ranks, regardless of who is involved. We must work together to solve the institution’s inefficiencies and lack of public trust.”
Mashatile, standing in for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said fallen officers’ families should know their loved ones’ sacrifices would not be in vain. “Their names will echo through generations as symbols of sacrifice and devotion to duty. They may be gone, but their legacy endures in the safety of our communities and in the freedom of our democracy.”
TimesLIVE
