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Thank you Programme Directors, Lt Col Masotla and Lt Col Mokoena
•The hosting Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lt General Mthombeni
It is my singular honour to deliver this keynote address on behalf of the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Masemola. The National Commissioner would have loved to join us today but due to matters beyond his control, he could not join us. Nonetheless, he asked me to deliver this keynote address on his behalf. Ladies and gentlemen, Prayer Day is an important Day on the South African Service calendar as we pray for all our Police Officers and their families. Programme Directors, allow me to thank all the previous speakers, particularly all the Pastors and Bishops who spoke before me and led us in prayer, praying for the safety and protection of our police officers, and also praying for various challenges we are facing as a law enforcement organisation in South Africa. Distinguished guests, our police officers need all of us to pray for them because they work under difficult circumstances and also in dangerous environments. On Sunday 1 September, we once again had the difficult task of laying a wreath at the SAPS Memorial Site at the Union Buildings in Pretoria in honour of 39 Police Officers who were killed in the line of duty during 2023/2024 financial year – the past financial year. Although this is an annual ritual, the pain of remembering members who died in the line of duty is not the one to get used to. In the past financial year alone, a total of 111 Police Officers were killed on and off duty. This number is alarmingly high because it shows our Policemen and women are under attack from ruthless criminals who have neither have respect for Police lives nor the rule of law. The 111 Police Officers who lost their lives at the hands of criminals, are not just a statistic; they were husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, neighbours and colleagues, some of them were church members who paid their tithes at their local church; and some of them were breadwinners in their families. These were also valued members of the SAPS. We are currently just halfway through the 2024/2025 financial year, yet we have already lost 39 Police Officers at the hands of criminals. These 39 members we have already lost this financial year, have been killed both on and off duty. I have no doubt in my mind that I am not the only one whose heart is left with a great deal of sadness when our members are killed whether on or off duty. It is for this reason that may we never cease to pray for Police Officers. Over the years, we have lost many of our members in the hands of criminals. Ours in the South African Police Service is not an easy task as we must execute our Constitutional Mandate as stipulated in Section 205 of The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Section 205 of the Constitution mandates police to prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain public order; protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property; and uphold and enforce the law. Policing is not an easy vocation because when others run away at the sound of gunfire and threat of violence, Police go directly towards danger, to avert any possible loss of life, and lay their own lives in serving their country. We are living in times where some people seem to disregard humanity in its totality. The violence in our homes, in our communities and even in our schools is of great concern. These incidents heavily impact not only our communities but also on our Police Officers who are faced with many challenges in the daily execution of their duties. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is comforting that we also heard from Bishop Boya on the issue of mental health and also prayed to God about this. Suicide of Police Officers is a tragedy of Shakespearean propositions that leaves not only family members of Police Officers who die due to suicide traumatised, but also colleagues and community members whom they served. Distinguished guests, indeed suicide leaves loved ones with immeasurable pain, sorrow, grief and millions of questions that may never be answered. The effects of suicide are often long-lasting on family members, friends and colleagues who have lost their loved ones and valued companions to suicide and many struggle for a long time to come to terms with. The South African Police Service is a caring organisation, and we encourage all our members who feel overwhelmed either by personal circumstances or work duties, to please seek services of the Employee Health and Wellness so that they can receive all the necessary support from duly qualified professionals from within the SAPS. Should our members not feel comfortable to discuss their personal issues with our SAPS professionals, we have partnered with Polmed, our medical aid, which makes provision for all our Police Officers to have access to outside psychologists, social workers and psychiatrist and Polmed pays for such services. Indeed, sound mental health of our members has reciprocal benefits to both our employees and the SAPS as an organisation. We know that when our members’ mental health is in tip-top shape, they are able to make rational decisions especially where in a split-second, an SAPS members’ actions can have far-reaching consequences which cannot be undone. Ladies and gentlemen, the safety of our police members is continuously ensured through the stringent implementation of appropriate preventive and proactive measures in an integrated and collective manner, as well as ensuring the operational readiness of all members through the continuous development of their operational and tactical skills and the provision of adequate and state-of-the-art safety equipment. Men and women in blue, although we have many measures and instructions in place, you are the ones that need to be vigilant both on and off duty. Take your safety seriously by strictly adhering to all applicable national instructions. Complacency can cost you your life. We all have an important role to play in the safety of all members of the South African Police Service, and if we fulfil these roles successfully we will be able to eradicate the attacks on Police Officers and killings thereof. It is envisaged that during the upcoming festive season the safety of police officers is going to be at risk as our members are often faced with life threatening challenges where they will be combatting crime and out in various communities in their numbers to ensure all people in South Africa have are and feel safe during the festive season. As I conclude, I would like to plead with leaders of Faith-based organisations, the congregation, and the public in general to please pray for the police. We ask you to pray for us because the task before us in the fight against crime in is an arduous one. Praying for police safety must not be limited to this annual National Prayer Day event. We ask you to normalise praying for police continuously because our field of work is a risky one, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. May God protect South Africa and her people. I thank you!
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