"Each year, the Wall of Remembrance grows longer, marking yet more lives lost in the line of duty. This year, we mourn 27 SAPS members who died between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. But many others have been left permanently disabled, or have lost their lives while off duty—often leaving behind families that now face devastating hardship," said POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo.
According to Mamabolo, the public ceremonies do little to address the underlying issues that lead to these deaths. “It's disheartening that families are paraded in front of the nation year after year, while the conditions responsible for these tragedies remain largely unchanged.”
While the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) exists, Mamabolo said it falls far short of meeting the needs of bereaved families. “The death grant of R250,000 has remained stagnant since its introduction. It is nowhere near sufficient to support the families of fallen officers, particularly when it comes to their children’s education and daily needs.”
Although POPCRU has welcomed the recent increase in the Service Allowance—from R700 to R950—as per PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025, Mamabolo emphasised that far more needs to be done. “This adjustment, and the commitment to future CPI-linked increases under the SSSBC Agreement 1 of 2025, is a step in the right direction. But isolated measures are not enough.”
He added: “Commemoration must go beyond symbolism. We should be striving to see fewer names on that wall—not more.”
POPCRU is calling on government to take the following urgent steps:
* Strengthen partnerships between communities and police, while engaging strategic stakeholders to combat serious and violent crime;
* Reverse harmful austerity measures affecting the criminal justice cluster;
* Finalise and implement a fair and transparent promotion and grade progression policy;
* Provide proper tools of trade to officers on the ground;
* Absorb all Public Service Act appointees into the SAPS Act for uniformity and equity.
“Our members are increasingly agitated by the continued loss of their colleagues—whether on or off duty,” Mamabolo said. “They are not asking for sympathy. They are demanding safety, dignity, and a meaningful change in the way policing is supported in South Africa.”
As the country pauses to honour its fallen heroes and heroines, POPCRU urges that this day serve not only as a moment of remembrance, but also as a turning point—towards safer, fairer, and more sustainable policing.
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