Royal and state funeral for dedicated cop

Sgt Sharon Ralinala (43), who was recently killed in Gauteng while on duty, was given a royal and state funeral over the weekend.

Ralinala, from Maungani-Tshipise in the Nzhelele area, was of royal blood and attached to the Soweto Flying Squad. She was on patrol with two colleagues on the Golden Highway near Eldorado Park when they were shot by unknown suspects. She joins the ever increasing number of police members killed countrywide on duty this year.

Only a fortnight  ago, W/O Thomas Mabada was buried at the neighboring Tshivhilidulu village after being shot dead by armed robbers.

Hundreds of men and women in blue, among them members of the top management in Gauteng, many community members, friends and relatives descended on the rocky village to pay their last respects to the fallen officer. The programme was run by the police, while there was intermittent tradional royal praise singing by women dressed in traditional Venda attire.

According to tradition, only a few close family members are allowed to enter the sacred royal burial grounds and that meant even Ralinala's colleagues could not enter.

Speakers at the funeral, who were all worried about police killings, emphasised the need for the laws of the country to be changed to protect the police. The head of the Soweto Flying Squad, Lt-Col Freddy Ndanganeni, appealed for prayers as they perform their duties of fighting crime. "Ralinala's death will not demoralise us. We won't despair and all we need are prayers that will empower us to fight criminals to the end," he said.

On behalf of the children, Zwivhuya (23), the second-born, said their mother had done everything to make life comfortable for them. "When we were together, one would not recognise who the mother was as we were like sisters. The love of a mother cannot be replaced and we will miss her a lot," she said.

The deputy police commissioner of Gauteng, Maj Gen Deliwe de Lange, said it was saddening to find that they were losing members who left children behind. "We know that money cannot replace your loved one, but know that we will always be there for you," she said.

Ralinala worked at the Siloam Hospital before joining the SAPS in Gauteng. She is survived by her three daughters, Shothodzo, Zwivhuya, and Rudzani, and both her parents.

News - Date: 27 November 2015

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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