President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned criminals who target police officers that they will face the full might of the law, as South Africa honoured 12 fallen South African Police Service (SAPS) members during National Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Sunday.
The annual ceremony remembered officers who lost their lives in the line of duty during the 2025/26 financial year. Nine of the 12 fallen members were from Gauteng, while North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga each recorded one officer among those being honoured.
Addressing the gathering, Ramaphosa said attacks on police officers are not simply attacks on individual members, but an assault on the authority of the state, the rule of law and South Africa’s constitutional order.
“When a criminal points a weapon at a police officer, they are confronting not merely that officer, they are confronting the authority of the Republic of South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.
The President called for those responsible for killing police officers to be arrested and warned that anyone involved in planning or carrying out attacks on members of the SAPS would not find a safe haven.
Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia used the occasion to highlight progress in investigations and prosecutions involving the killing of police officers. He said authorities had recorded 20 arrests and 11 convictions in cases involving murdered police members, with four of those convicted receiving life sentences.
Cachalia said he believed all those convicted of murdering police officers should have received life imprisonment, underscoring the seriousness with which government views attacks on members of the security services.
The Acting Minister also turned his attention to the families left behind by fallen officers, assuring them that government would continue to provide support, particularly to children who have lost parents in the line of duty.
Cachalia stressed the importance of counselling, care and education for these children, saying the fallen officers had become part of the country’s history through their service and sacrifice.
Ramaphosa said the 12 officers being remembered this year came from different policing environments and lost their lives in a range of circumstances. Some were killed while working the same shift, responding to business robbery complaints or transporting awaiting-trial prisoners, while others died while conducting routine crime prevention and patrol duties in their respective precincts.
The youngest officer on this year’s Roll of Honour was 25 years old. Ramaphosa also highlighted the story of the only woman being honoured, a mother of three who served at Temba Police Station.
The President said the fallen officers should never be reduced to statistics, stressing that every death has a profound impact on families, colleagues and communities.
While the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has declined significantly in recent years, Ramaphosa said there was no room for complacency. He attributed the improvement to operational interventions, police safety initiatives, community partnerships and cooperation between government and the private sector.
“Even one police death is one too many,” he said, while calling for continued efforts to ensure that officers can perform their duties safely.
The SAPS has introduced a Police Safety Action Plan, known as “Think First – Act Safe: Every Call, Every Time”. The plan focuses on governance, proactive and reactive safety interventions, the protection of police stations and infrastructure, as well as support and accountability.
Ramaphosa also called on communities to play a greater role in protecting police officers by reporting threats, safeguarding sensitive information and rejecting criminality.
The President highlighted the work of the South African Police Service Education Trust (SAPSET), which has supported 2,215 children of fallen police officers since its establishment in 2010. More than R25 million has been raised through sponsorships, with some beneficiaries progressing to master’s and doctoral studies.
Ramaphosa urged corporate South Africa to strengthen its support for SAPSET through sustainable donations and scholarship programmes so that children who lose parents in the line of duty are given meaningful opportunities to build their futures.
The commemoration took place against a backdrop of increased scrutiny of the SAPS, including revelations emerging from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry. Ramaphosa said such scrutiny should not paralyse the police service or undermine the morale of honest officers.
Instead, he said the challenges facing the service should become a catalyst for renewal, with stronger leadership, improved systems, better intelligence, adequate equipment and enhanced training.
He called on police officers to serve with authority, discipline, professionalism and integrity while respecting the Constitution and the rights of the people they are sworn to protect.
Ramaphosa said the SAPS must respond to criticism through professional conduct, measurable results and safer communities.
As families, colleagues and police leaders gathered to pay their respects, National Commemoration Day served as both a solemn tribute to officers who made the ultimate sacrifice and a renewed call for stronger police safety, accountability and public trust.
The President said South Africa owes fallen officers a safer country, their families continued support and serving police members the resources and protection they need to carry out their duties and return home safely.