Tears flowed at a memorial service of slain cop, Detective Constable Lindekile Sikade, on Friday.
The 39-year-old cop was gunned down outside his Philippi home last week Monday and robbed of his service firearm.
The congregation was reduced to tears during the reading of a letter written by his 10-year-old daughter.
“I know you loved me. You died because you wanted to keep all the children of the world safe,” the letter reads.
The constable, who was stationed at the Grassy Park, was on his way to work in his official car when he was attacked just after 6am.
A special wreath laying ceremony was held at Grassy Park Police Station, followed by the memorial service at the Calvin Protestant Church in Third Avenue.
Constable Sikade’s wife, Nomfusi Sikade, sobbed as she held their one-month-old baby in the front row.
Grassy Park station commander Colonel Shawn van Wyk described the fallen hero as “a great cop”.
Sikade joined the force in 2006, and started working at Grassy Park SAPS in 2007 as a member of the serious and violent crimes unit.
Van Wyk says: “Gangs is a serious challenge in Grassy Park. He received several good convictions in murder and attempted murder cases.”
Grassy Park community policing forum chairperson Philip Bam described Sikade as “a community servant.”