PRETORIA - An attack on a police officer is an attack on the state.
That’s the message from President Cyril Ramaphosa as the country honoured 12 officers who died in the line of duty.
He said those who target members must face the full might of the law.
“This confronts us with a difficult question: What kind of society kills the very people entrusted with protecting it?
And more importantly, what must we do to change such a, a society? An attack on a police officer is not merely an attack on an individual. It is an attack on the authority of the democratic state. It is an attack on the rule of law.
“It is an attack on the constitutional order that guarantees the rights and the freedoms of every South African.
“When a criminal points a weapon at a police officer, they are confronting not merely that officer. They are confronting the authority of the Republic of South Africa They are essentially confronting all of us.
“For this reason, those who murder police officers must know that the full might of the law will be brought to bear upon them. Those who planned these attacks must be found
“And I'm pleased to hear Acting Minister Cachalia say a number of them have been found, investigations are ongoing, and convictions have actually been handed down, and they will serve life sentences in some of the cases"