Officers who died in line of duty laid to rest
JMPD Tembe touched by the deaths
All that metro police officer Winnie Mokgolo wanted was to improve the lives of her family and children.
This is according to her aunt, Gloria Mokgolo, who told mourners at her niece’s funeral yesterday that her death has had a negative impact on them.
“Winnie loved progress and loved studying and wanted to advance in life through studying. She wanted to improve our lives and the lives of her three children,” Gloria said.
Mokgolo, one of the two Johannesburg Metro police officers who were killed last week when an alleged drunken driver ploughed into them at a roadblock in Johannesburg, was laid to rest at an emotional send-off yesterday.
Hundreds of friends, colleagues and family members gathered at the Jerry Moloi Library in Daveyton to pay their last respects.
Mokgolo, 35, and Sophie Ngoasheng, 45, died after a 34year-old man drove into them when he allegedly lost control of his vehicle, ramming into a roadblock by JMPD along the Witkoppen Road.
Ngoasheng was buried on Saturday in Limpopo.
Mokgolo’s colleague, Mokgadi Madikga, said she had known the mother of three since they joined JMPD 10 years ago and had worked together.
“She wouldn’t be shy to tell you when something was wrong. She would not bite her tongue and was brutally honest at all times. She was a dynamite but was also very sweet,” Madikga said.
Mokgolo’s coffin was draped in the national flag. Her colleagues alternated to form a guard of honour around her coffin.
JMPD chief David Tembe said despite his many years as a paramedic, he was reduced to tears after witnessing the crash scene where his officers died.
“I was a paramedic and I have been trained and I have seen many serious accidents but seeing Mokgolo and Ngoasheng on the ground left me in tears,” Tembe told mourners.
He said the pair had served JMPD with distinction, and it was up to their colleagues to live and work in a manner that would honour their lives.