Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) have called on government to increase the R250,000 death grant awarded to families of police officers who were killed.
The union made this call on Sunday as the country observed the South African Police Service National Commemoration Day in honour of police officers who were killed in the line of duty. At least 33 police officers were killed within the last financial year.
Popcru is concerned about this increasing figure, but the union is more worried about the financial challenges the families of the deceased are faced with.
“Affected families continue to receive a death grant of R250 000 in these difficult economic times. This amount is a disgrace and it is way less than what the woman national football squad were promised for winning the recent continental tournament.
“Experiences relayed by most families of deceased officers is that these death grants are not sustainable in the long term. Families can't even send their children to school with the offered death grant,” said Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo.
Government must increase the death grant based on individual case assessment and implement a danger insurance for all public servants, according to Mamabolo.
“Our members in the criminal justice cluster are agitated by the continued loss of life. We need practical measures to help reduce the number of police killings in our country,” he said.
Speaking at the National Commemoration Day ceremony held at the Union Building, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed concern about violent attacks on police officers.
He urged members of the public to help bring police killers to book.
“No society can remain silent when criminals have clearly declared war on the police. Our men and women in blue represent the authority of the state, and any attack on them is a direct attack on the state, but it is also an attack on the people of South Africa.
“Those responsible for police killings and have not yet been arrested must know that wherever they are, they will be found and they will face the full might of the law,” said Ramaphosa.
nzimandeb@sowetan.co.za
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