‘Sometimes it’s so hard’: families weep as Ramaphosa honours slain police

Every time they see a police vehicle, the family of a humble and hard working police constable relive the trauma of his gruesome murder.

The charred body of Const Simon Ntsekeletsa, 50, was found in his police vehicle in July. The colleague he was on duty with at the time, 42-year-old Sgt Mojalefa Molete, met the same brutal fate.

Top police brass and President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday led the mourning for 34 women and men in blue who died in the line of duty between April 1 2020 and March 31 2021.

They were colleagues, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, loving fathers, caring mothers, neighbours and friends.

—  President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ntsekeletsa and Molete were not counted among those numbers, but their families will mourn in solidarity with those who formed part of the 34.

Ramaphosa said the slain officers had paid the “ultimate price for their commitment and determination to serve the South African people”. Accompanied by SAPS leadership, he was speaking at the annual SAPS commemoration service at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Family members wailed and sobbed as the names of the dead were read out.

“They were colleagues, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, loving fathers, caring mothers, neighbours and friends,” said Ramaphosa. “They will be deeply missed.”

He said the commemoration was a “stark reminder of the perils our men and women in uniform face as they carry out their duty to serve our country and protect its people”.

“We fully understand the anxiety that accompanies the knowledge that you could leave your home for work, never to return. The passing of these heroes and heroines in the line of duty must sharpen the resolve of those who remain in the police service to proudly and bravely continue the noble cause to guarantee the safety and security of all South Africans.

“Today we salute all who work in the SAPS, putting the safety and security of their fellow citizens above their own. Yours is indeed a difficult calling that demands selflessness,” he said.

The families of Ntsekeletsa and Molete know this all too well.

Police and the community of Mareetsane in North West were plunged into grief after the officers’ burnt remains were discovered in the bush at Mosita. They had been trying to apprehend livestock thieves.

Speaking about a month after the double murder, Molete’s sister Boitumelo said the family had struggled to move on.

We’re getting there ... even though sometimes it’s so hard, but time will heal us.

—  Boitumelo Molete

“We’re getting there ... even though sometimes it’s so hard, but time will heal us.

“The only time it hits us is when they talk about the matter in the media ... it feels new all over again. But overall, we’re getting there by God’s mercy,” she said.

This was echoed by Ntsekeletsa’s cousin, James, who said most of the family, bar his  daughter, were finding ways to move forward with their lives.

“His daughter had a hard time ... but his youngest is fine,” he said.

James said the trauma resurfaced every time they spotted a police vehicle.

On Sunday, Ramaphosa also paid tribute to the 840 SAPS members and support staff who had succumbed to Covid-19 since its outbreak.

“It is important that we remember them because as we urged everyone to stay home, as part of our fight against the deadly virus, police officers were in the streets enforcing the lockdown regulations for the safety of all South Africans.

“Nothing can ever take away the pain of losing a loved one. And yet amid the despair and sorrow, there is a firm determination that the lives lost should not be dishonoured.

“Let us ... thank our fallen heroes and heroines posthumously for their sacrifices. Let us cherish the memories they have left behind, whether as family members or colleagues,” he said.

Police minister Bheki Cele told mourners on Sunday: “This weekend we buried three of our own, targeted for their service pistols and killed mercilessly by criminals. The deputy minister of police and I attended the funeral services of Sgt Nkosinathi Ngcobo in KwaZulu-Natal and Sgt Pumlani Dastile in the Eastern Cape on Friday. Yesterday, we bade farewell to Sgt Sharon Mogale in Ekurhuleni. She was gunned down during Women's Month and her service pistol was stolen.

“Sgt Mogale, Sgt Ngcobo and Sgt Dastile’s lives were cut short by ruthless criminals and we will leave no stone unturned to find them. Today, we honour those officers who never made it back home.”