By Mapaballo Borotho
- SAPS will observe the lives of police officers who died in the line of duty on 7 March 2026.
- A total of 27 officers died between April 2024 and March 2025, with most fatally shot.
- Police say hundreds of suspects linked to the killings have been arrested, while support continues for the families of fallen officers.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) will on Saturday, 07 March 2026 observe the lives of police officers who were killed in the line of duty.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the SAPS lost 27 police officers.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says 19 of them were fatally shot, seven were killed in horrific car accidents and one was unfortunately struck by a blunt object on the upper body.
“From 2023 to date, the HAWKS have arrested 263 police killers, with 75 life sentences and a combined 2,799 years of imprisonment handed down to each of these killers.
In 2010, the SAPS established the South African Police Education Trust Fund (SAPSET) and to date, more than R35 million has been raised through donations and sponsors to take care of the educational needs of the children whose parents lost their lives in service of the nation,” said Mathe.
Policing is one of the few professions on earth where the decision to protect communities can cost a police officer everything.
Mathe says in ensuring the safety of the men and women in blue on duty, the SAPS strives to secure members’ safety by making sure they are adequately trained and have sufficient resources, including the necessary tools of trade to respond to the call of duty.
“While our fallen officers may be gone, their service continues to unite us across borders, across cultures and across generations. May we honour those who died by continuing where they left off”.
Meanwhile, the National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola has called on police officers to always act within the confines of the law when they defend and protect the communities that we serve.
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