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The names of the police officers killed in the line of duty displayed at the annual South African Police Service (SAPS) Commemoration Day, at the Union Buildings, September 7, 2025.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says government will ensure that those who kill police officers face the harshest punishment permitted by law.
He was speaking at the annual Police Service Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Mashatile says 66 police officers were killed in the line of duty in the past two years.
He says an attack on a police officer is an attack on the state.
“The rate of criminality, especially organized crime syndicates in South Africa, serves major concern. Drug trafficking syndicates, gangs, and other forms of organized crime represent an urgent and growing challenge in South Africa.”
Mashatile adds: “The Killing of Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni who was shot and killed by more than seven armed robbers at a store in Kumasdal in Mpumalanga on Friday, the 8th of August 2025, is but one of the many senseless killings of our police officers.”
VIDEO | Mashatile warns police killers will face harsh punishment:
