The South African Police Service on Sunday paid tribute to 29-year-old Constable Thapelo Kleinbooi Tlometsane, describing him as a dedicated young officer whose promising career was brutally cut short when he was killed while responding to gunshots in Reiger Park, east of Johannesburg.

Tlometsane was laid to rest in Zebediela, Limpopo, where his family, colleagues and senior government officials gathered to honour his life and service.

The funeral service was officiated by Deputy Minister of Police Dr Polly Boshielo and Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane.

In her tribute, Dimpane described Tlometsane’s death as a devastating loss not only for his family, but for the entire police service.

“Today, we are not merely burying Constable Thapelo Kleinbooi Tlometsane. We are burying a future that was never given the opportunity to unfold,” Dimpane said.

Tlometsane joined the SAPS on 1 April 2022 as a trainee and was appointed as a constable in December of the same year.

He served at the Office of the Provincial Commissioner, Krugersdorp and Meadowlands before joining the Anti-Gang Unit.

Dimpane said although he had served for less than four years, Tlometsane had demonstrated the commitment, discipline and courage expected from members of the police service.

His career, she said, had only just begun.

“There was no telling how far he could have gone. Perhaps one day we would have celebrated him as a Station Commander, a District Commissioner, a Provincial Commissioner, or even as the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service,” she said.

Those possibilities were cut short on the evening of 7 August when Tlometsane and his colleague, Constable Siphiwe Sibeko, responded to the sound of gunshots while conducting crime prevention patrols in Reiger Park.

According to Dimpane, the two officers moved towards danger as they had been trained to do, but were ambushed.

Both officers were killed, along with two civilians.

Four people lost their lives in the incident, leaving four families devastated.

A 23-year-old suspect, Regan Collis, has since appeared in court in connection with the shooting.

Collis faces four counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and charges relating to the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

His case was postponed to 25 August.

Dimpane said the SAPS would allow the judicial process to take its course while ensuring that the matter received the seriousness and attention it deserved.

“We will not prejudge the judicial process. But we will ensure that this matter receives the seriousness, intensity and attention it deserves,” she said.

The acting national commissioner also condemned the killing of police officers, saying members continued to pay a heavy price while confronting armed and dangerous criminals.

She said 11 police officers would be commemorated next month following the deaths of 27 members last year and 39 recorded on the 2024 Roll of Honour.

Dimpane said Tlometsane and Sibeko’s deaths should not simply become statistics.

“The deaths of Constables Thapelo Kleinbooi Tlometsane and Siphiwe Sibeko must not become statistics; they must strengthen our resolve to confront those criminals who believe they can terrorise our communities, murder police officers and challenge the authority of the state with impunity,” she said.

Tlometsane was the sixth and last-born child in his family.

He was also a father to a two-year-old daughter, who Dimpane said had been robbed of the years she should have spent growing up with her father.

The SAPS has pledged continued support for the child through the South African Police Service Education Trust.

Dimpane said SAPSET would assist with her educational needs and future opportunities.

She said the organisation had supported children of fallen police officers since its establishment in 2010, with beneficiaries going on to obtain university degrees, including master’s and PhD qualifications, while others had become doctors, lawyers and advocates.

“Our fallen hero may no longer be here to walk his daughter into her future, but through the SAPS family, we will help carry her towards that future,” Dimpane said.

She also said SAPS chaplains and Employee Health and Wellness personnel had remained in contact with the Tlometsane family since the tragedy.

As his coffin was lowered into the ground, Dimpane said the SAPS was closing the administrative chapter of Tlometsane’s career, but not his legacy.

“Today, the South African Police Service lowers its head in grief, but we do not lower our resolve. We honour him. We salute him. We remember him,” she said.

Tlometsane’s family now faces life without a son, brother and breadwinner, while his young daughter will grow up without her father.

For the SAPS, his death serves as another painful reminder of the risks carried by officers who put on the uniform and answer the call of duty.

His courage, commitment and sacrifice will remain part of the police service’s history.