The daughter of the slain Elukwatini police station commander has recalled the last few moments she shared with her mother as she fought for her life after she and her retired police officer husband were sprayed with bullets while responding to a business burglary.
Tintswalo yesterday told the mourners, including police minister Bheki Cele, that her mother Col Beauty Marivate, who had worked for the SAPS for 34 years, loved her work and had died on duty because she wanted the public to live in a safer society.
"My mother went through pain in her life and with the pressure associated with her work but she didn't relax but remained strong. She pushed until she took her last breath.
"When she faced death, she fought. She not did cry when I saw her in hospital. She smiled and told me she loved us all as her children. We are going to miss her smile in the family," said an emotional Tintswalo.
Her siblings wept uncontrollably as she spoke at the funeral service at Elukwatini Stadium, near Badplaas.
"She was a loving mother, had a beautiful soul, captured everyone who came close to her. She liked people a lot and liked to help where she could. She started a netball team to improve the lives of young girls."
On the sidelines of the service, she told Sowetan that she was proud of her father, Charles, who "helped her mother" when they responded to the crime scene in the area on December 30.
Charles, who looked like he was in pain, wept and was comforted by other relatives. He had a bandage on his head and had to be helped as the family moved out of the venue into vehicles to go the Elukwatini Cemetery, where his wife was buried.
Cele raised concerns during the service about how criminals are enjoying themselves while in prison after killing police officers. He said police should protect the public and protect themselves.
"Here, we nearly lost both parents. The criminals have the guts to shoot at our police. In this area, I heard there are gangs, and please commissioner and your police, come for an operation here and go house to house.
"What we know is that these criminals are your children, your boyfriends and you hide them in the houses. Now all people who have criminals here need to be arrested too.
"We are burying our loved one here while the criminals are enjoying three meals and bathing in hot water from our taxes in prison. I heard that there are seven other criminals who are on the run. Please, officers, I want them here; either they come walking or being carried facing up [dead]. We need them arrested," said Cele.
He called for the police to make criminals’ lives hard.
"Government is elected to govern and we cannot co-govern with criminals in our communities. Police, you must make sure that you make the life of criminals very hard; they must not find space. The Criminal Procedure Act allows you to use deadly force if your life is in danger. So, do your job and also protect your own lives."
"Use the tools [guns] we have given you to work with because as government, we give teachers chalk and doctors stethoscopes to work with and you as police, we gave you tools, and please, don't die with them in your hands," said Cele.
MEC for community safety, security and liaison Vusi Shongwe said eight suspects had been arrested, while seven others were on the run.
"We condemn this nonsense of gangs and criminals who shot her. This thing of wrong turn gangs must come to an end," said Shongwe.
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