Mashatile: Attacking a police officer is an attack on the State

By Johnathan Paoli

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has condemned the killing of police officers as “an attack on the State itself,” declaring it unacceptable and vowing that such crimes will be met with the full might of the law.

Officiating on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) annual Commemoration Day in Pretoria, Mashatile honoured the 27 officers who died in the line of duty between April 2024 and March this year, calling them “heroes and heroines” whose sacrifices embody the high cost of South Africa’s safety and democracy.

“Each year we commemorate this event, my heart is weighed down with sorrow. To the families gathered here, especially the spouses and children, your pain is our pain. Your parents died as heroes and heroines, and their sacrifices are acknowledged by the whole country,” Mashatile said.

Mashatile drew attention to the scale of police killings, revealing