A COP who was killed on duty was given a fitting send off on Saturday, 29 July.
Constable Siyabonga Thango was shot during a shoot-out between cops and robbers on Friday, 21 July in Gold Spot in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
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Thango later died in hospital that day.
Cops, families and the community at large came in numbers to pay their last respects to Thango. The funeral service was held at Salvation Army Church in Extension 25 in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
Speaking at the church, Ekurhuleni district commissioner Major-General Anna Sithole said Thango was a hero who fought crime until the very end.
"He was committed to his work and was never afraid to deal with criminals," she said.
She explained how the fallen cop and and his colleagues responded to a call of a robbery at a supermarket.
"Little did he know that would be his last time. He succumbed to his death after he was brutally shot by one of the robbers," she added.
Sithole sympathised with Thango's family.
"Even though we are bringing your son in a coffin, we are grateful you borrowed him to the SAPS organisation and the entire country. He served his community with pride and commitment, and in the end he lost his life while on duty," she said.
Sithole acknowledged the trauma endured by the deceased's colleagues who witnessed him being killed.
"The pain of his death will remain forever in your hearts. For those of us still left behind knowing that anytime we can leave this world because of our line of work, we are not going to be discouraged by his death," she said.
She added that cops should take the baton from where Thango left it, and continue to fight crime.
Vosloorus Police Station acting station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Mathebula said: “We have lost a giant officer who was honest and worked tirelessly to protect the community.
“He was an energetic person. We will miss his humility and smile,” he said.
Thango was laid to rest at the Thomas Titus Nkobi Memorial Park, formerly known as South Park Cemetery in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
