Deputy Minister of Police, Ms M Sotyu;
All MECs responsible for policing present;
National Commissioner of Police, General R Phiyega;
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ms A Van Wyk;
Members of the Portfolio Committee on Police present;
Directors-General of State Security, Defence, GCIS and SARS;
Heads of IPID, Civilian Secretariat for Police and PSIRA;
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee for Community Safety, City of Tshwane,
Mr MS Mashola;
Lieutenants General, Senior Officers and Staff of the SAPS present;
Leaders from different Inter-Faith denominations present;
Chairperson of the SAPS Education Trust, Father S. Mkhatshwa;
Board Members of the SAPS Education Trust present;
Representatives from the Labour unions, POPCRU and SAPU;
Representatives from PRIMEDIA, POWA, Shout SA, Microsoft and Icon;
Representatives from various Community Policing Forums;
Families, relatives, friends and colleagues of our fallen heroes and heroines;
Distinguished guests;
Members of the media;
Fellow South Africans.
Memory is a weapon. People who know their history are more empowered to embrace the present and proceed into the future. At the same time keeping a memory alive through the young is another means of ensuring that the forebears of the nation; their ideals and vision, continues to live even when they have passed on.
Every year we converge at this memorial site, together as a nation to remember our departed heroes and heroines. These are our friends, colleagues, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles who have passed away in the line of duty while serving the nation. We observe this important day because although they are gone, their contributions will never and must never be forgotten.
Former American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr once said, quote: ‘So to the indifferent inquirer who asks, why memorial day is kept up, we may answer, it celebrates and solemnly reaffirms from year to year a national act of enthusiasm and faith. It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiasm and faith is the condition of acting greatly.’
Fellow South Africans,
Today, we are commemorating 76 police officers who were killed in the line of duty from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. Indeed, gathering at this memorial site and joined by millions of South Africans, is never a pleasant occasion however we recognise that this is a duty that must be accorded to these gallant warriors who served, worked to preserve and upheld the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The killing of our police officers is detrimental to our democracy and a threat to our country’s stability and prosperity. Being a police officer is, naturally, accompanied with a lot of elements of danger, but that can never justify the violence perpetuated and perpetrated against our men and women in blue.
Fellow South Africans,
In July 2011, we convened the first ever summit against attacks on and the killing of police officers, where we invited and engaged a broad spectrum of stakeholders, most of whom are also present here today. In essence, the objective was to seek solutions from across all sectors of society on what needed to be done to eradicate these attacks and killings.
Various proactive and preventive measures were developed and are currently being implemented. These interventions included conducting of a literature review to identify challenges to inform the development of proactive preventative measures.
The police management have also begun with development of an information management framework to ensure accurate reporting, capturing, analysis and monitoring of all incidents, which includes attacks, murders, vehicle accidents and suicides of police officials on and off duty.
We are also intent on punishing police killers and this is being enhanced through the criminal justice system by a way of investigation and sentencing. A docket analysis in respect of all members who died on and off duty from 1 August 2008 to until 31 July 2012 was conducted to determine trends and tendencies. Proactive and prevention measures were developed and are being implemented based on the findings.
The SAPS has also begun with improving employee support through an implementation of employee health and wellness practices and programs as well as enhancing tactical skills development and equipment. We urge our members to utilise these facilities and not be influenced by unscientific perceptions that those who seek counselling are perceived to be weak.
We further made a call that provincial summits be convened, to mobilise communities to support an integrated and coherent approach in addressing the wellbeing and safety of all SAPS employees. We are pleased that the following provinces KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Free State have thus far held such summits. Northern Cape will hold its own later on this month and we urge others to do the same.
The police management are also finalising a proposal around declaring the month of October annually, as a police safety month in which several events will be hosted to enhance police safety nationally, especially encouraging public participation.
Fellow South Africans,
During the 2010 Commemoration we announced our intentions of establishing a South African Police Service Education Trust, which would support the educational needs of children of police members who die in the line of duty. We are pleased to announce that on the 14 August this year, we delivered on our commitment when we officially launched the Trust in Pretoria.
Our vision is to ensure that the Trust provides the best education and training for the development of children of members deceased in the line of duty. However we are cognizant that for the Trust to be efficient, it would require financial, corporate, training and moral support.
Once again, we are making a clarion call to corporate South Africa, to business fraternity and South Africans from all walks of live to support this Trust. We further express our gratitude to those organisations, institutions and companies that have already made a donation to the Trust.
At this commemorative event today, we are also joined by some of the first beneficiaries. We are confident that the Trust will grow from strength to strength and benefit many of our departed members’ children.
Fellow South Africans,
We felt it is important to share with the nation some of these programmes that are aimed at prevention and reduction of police killings but also reiterate the call that, police rely on the support of communities to be effective in fulfilling their mandate of crime prevention and solving incidents of crime. Despite the challenges that we still face as a country in dealing with crime, we can be bold in stating that a lot of good work is being done in all areas of crime reduction programmes.
As we conclude this commemoration and depart to our different destinations, let this occasion serve as a reminder of the difficult duty of policing. We have a duty to remember these gallant heroes whose selfless struggle and commitment can never be questioned or measured.
They went beyond their normal call of duty. When the call was made to say: who shall we send? They raised their hands and said: we are here, send us. Our society, together with its governance institutions must engage in a concerted and sustained effort to end these senseless killings of police officers.
The creation of a safe and secure South Africa is a central aspect of the national effort to ensure lasting peace, justice and development for our country, all its people and future generations.
We may never be able to bring back to life these unsung heroes and heroines but shall ensure that their passing is not in vain. Through force of example we must demonstrate our conviction of working towards for a safer South Africa.
With their inopportune departure it is left up to all of us, as government and the broader society to carry forward the cause of which they championed, which is to ensure that South Africans are and feel safe.
I would like to close with the words of William Penn, an English philosopher, who said, quote: ‘They that love beyond the world cannot be separated. Death cannot kill what never dies, nor can spirits ever be divided that love and live in the same divine principle; the root and record of their friendship. Death is but crossing the world as friends cross seas, they live in one another still.’
I thank you!
