SAPS remembers fallen hero: Warrant Officer Gaonathebe Diphephenyane
THE SOUTH African Police Service (SAPS) is set to host its annual Commemoration Day on September 1 at the Union Buildings to honour and remember the brave men and women in blue who lost their lives in the line of duty between April 2023 and March 2024.
In the lead-up to the event, the SAPS is paying tribute to 39 members who have died during this period. This week, the Service honoured the memory of one of the Northern Cape’s fallen heroes, Warrant Officer Gaonathebe Diphephenyane, who passed away on July 18, 2023.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said that Diphephenyane was part of the Division: Detective and Forensic Services in the Northern Cape and had served the SAPS for 14 years at the time of his death aged 34.
On July 17, 2023, while travelling from Kimberley to Rustenburg to testify in a court case, Diphephenyane was hijacked by unknown assailants. The perpetrators attacked him with a blunt object and strangled him, leaving his body by the roadside in Klerkskraal near Ventersdorp in the North West. He was certified deceased the following day.
The suspects fled with Diphephenyane’s belongings, including his cellphone and money, and the police vehicle. Four individuals have since been arrested and charged with murder, carjacking and robbery. They have appeared in the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court.
Diphephenyane leaves behind two young children, the youngest being just four years old at the time of his passing.
His name, along with those of 38 other fallen officers, will be engraved on the SAPS memorial wall at the Union Buildings as a lasting tribute to their sacrifice.
Brigadier Mathe added that the commemoration is a “symbol of gratitude from the nation for the sacrifices he made in serving and protecting the people of this country until his last breath”.
“To Warrant Officer Diphephenyane, the SAPS flag does not fly because the wind blows it; it flies with the last breath of every police officer who died defending it. May your soul continue to rest in peace,” said Mathe.
