Over R6 mn raised towards educating children of slain cops
More than R6 million has been pledged towards the South
African Police Education Trust Fund which funds the educational needs of the
children of slain police officers.
The police service marked this year’s National Police Day, which is observed on 27 January, by hosting a fundraiser golf day that saw more than 100 golf players from various corporate companies participating and pledging funds.
More than 140 police officers have been killed in the line of duty over the last four years.
“These are men and women in blue who died in the line of duty, serving and protecting all people living in South Africa,” said National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
The fund caters for the needs of children from grade RR right up to the tertiary level.
“To date, the fund has assisted 1078 children. Fifty-four of them have graduated and 146 of them have completed and have a National Senior Certificate,” elaborated Mathe.
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At the same time, Police Minister Bheki Cele thanked all sponsors and donors, saying the funds go a long way towards making a meaningful difference in the lives of the affected children.
“The least we can do is ensure these children don't carry an extra burden of stressing about school fees, books, and school uniforms knowing their educational needs have been taken care of. We hope more corporates and the overall business fraternity will in future come on board to support this cause.”
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola paid tribute to the men and women in blue for their commitment to serving the country.
“Let’s continue to work hard to rid our country of criminality. We urge communities to embrace our police officers and work together with them to stop the killing of our own.”
Thirty-three police officers have been killed in the line of duty since January 2023 to date.
