Durban – The South African Police Service (SAPS) has lost over 70 police officers in the past seven months to criminal attacks and ambushes.
This shocking figure comes as the SAPS buries two officers in a single day.
At the weekend, Police Minister General Bheki Cele together with the SAPS management led by Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili laid to rest a young officer, Constable Sphesihle Cele.
The slain officer was in his first year of service when he was shot and killed while on duty in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
The 26-year-old Public Order Policing (POP) member was shot and killed on 16 November 2023 while he and his team members were responding to a complaint about a man seen carrying a firearm inside a tavern in Empangeni.
The young officer was shot at by the armed man and died on the scene.
The shooter was then shot and killed by the police.
Delivering the eulogy at the funeral service on Saturday, Minister Cele expressed his revulsion at the killing of police officers on and off duty.
“We are appalled that about 10 police officers have been killed every single month since April; all at the hands of criminals,” said Police Minister, General Cele.
“These criminals are daring… taking on the police… and will remove any obstacle in the way of their criminal greed.
“This is why I will forever call on police to fight fire with fire, especially when their lives are threatened.
“No officer must ever die with a weapon in their hands.”
In Gauteng, Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale together with the National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola led proceedings of the funeral service of the late Constable Marven Maphoro.
He was shot and killed last week on Thursday, while responding to an ATM bombing at a filling station in Tembisa, Gauteng.
Deputy Minister Mathale urged police officers to use force proportional to the threat when under attack.
“Don’t hesitate to use the resources we have given you to defend your communities and yourselves,” said Deputy Minister Mathale.
“Don’t hesitate to use force which proportional to the threat, communities are depending on you for protection.”
With the clear rise in fatalities of the country’s police, the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has assured members that they will continue to be capacitated and empowered to respond to criminals and crime.
“The killing of members will not deter us but instead it bolsters our efforts to fight crime,” said General Masemola.
“As the management of the service, the capacitation and resourcing of our members remains an apex priority for management.
“We will continue to ensure members are tactically trained and well-resourced to defend communities.”
Police Ministry Spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said the latest crime statistics show that 35 officers were killed on and off duty between July and September 2023.
Themba said since the start of the financial year in April, 78 officers were killed in South Africa.
