‘Police killings threaten South Africa’s stability,’ Ramaphosa warns

President Cyril Ramaphosa opened South Africa's National Commemoration Day on September 12th, 2026, to honor 12 South African Police Service (SAPS) officers who lost their lives while on duty. Standing before the Roll of Honour, Ramaphosa reminded the crowd that South Africans must remember the fallen not as mere statistics, but as "sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, colleagues and friends" who put their lives on the line to protect others.

Of the 12 fallen officers, nine were from Gauteng, one each from North West, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and Mpumalanga. Among them was a mother of three from Temba Police Station. Ramaphosa described the heart-wrenching stories of these families, including a wife left pregnant and another family with newborn twins. "Behind every police killing is a family story that has been permanently rewritten," he said.

Ramaphosa challenged South Africans to confront the difficult question: "What kind of society kills those entrusted to protect it? And what must we do to change it?" He warned that attacks on police officers are not just personal assaults, but threats to the "integrity of the State, the rule of law and the constitutional order."

While noting a decline in police killings in recent years, Ramaphosa stressed that "even one life lost is one too many." He introduced the SAPS Police Safety Action Plan, "Think First – Act Safe: Every Call, Every Time," which focuses on governance, proactive and reactive interventions, infrastructure safety, redress, and support.

However, he emphasized that policing alone cannot solve the crisis: "The fight against crime must become a project of responsible citizenship: respecting the law, rejecting corruption, reporting criminality, and teaching our children that respect for human life is the foundation of a stable democracy."

Ramaphosa appealed to businesses to support the SAPS Education Trust, which has helped 2,215 children of fallen officers since 2010. He urged South Africans to contribute to a safer future for these children.

Acknowledging scrutiny following the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Ramaphosa urged the SAPS to respond with professional conduct, measurable results, and safer communities. He stressed that the best response to criticism is not denial, but professional conduct, measurable results, and a safer society. Ramaphosa concluded by calling on South Africans to honor the fallen by changing their behavior and building a society where those who protect the people are themselves protected.