A TOTAL of 15 police officers of different le-vels deployed in the Komani SAPS cluster, have been promoted to the upper ranks.
The deserving members were promoted to senior positions on merit after they were deemed to have met the requirements of the police service.
Among the group of men and women in blue are Colonel Bekekile Waka, Captain Luvuyo Pamba and Captain Gwetyelwe Maxegwana.
All members boast vast experience of more than two decades of service, with Waka and Gwetyelwe having served as station commanders before.
Waka, who was stationed at Ezibeleni Police Station, has been promoted to serve as the commander of Mqanduli SAPS – a role which he said was challenging, but added that he was ready for it.
“I don’t want to lie – the role of being a station commander comes with many responsibilities and challenges, but I am up for the challenge. My experience will show up in the field as I will be doing what I had been doing before,” he said.
Waka will assume office this month, while the other two are already serving in their new positions.
Pamba, who joined the SAPS in 1992, used to work in the Whittlesea area, where he led an anti-gang task team in 2012, before moving to the Kolomani SAPS, where he acted as a station commander.
He has since taken the role of station commander at the Henderson Police Station from the beginning of October.
He said he was looking forward to bringing his expertise of combating stock theft to an area prone to that crime.
“Henderson is a farm area and stock theft is on the rise these days but I am not fazed,” Pamba said.
“I have cracked down on many stock theft cases and I have come to understand the operations of stock thieves. But I hope that community members will be open to working with me because stock theft cases require cooperation between the police and the community.”
Both Maxegwana and Pamba have been deployed within the Komani SAPS cluster, where they had served before.
Maxegwana said his interpersonal skills, which he gained while he was a community police officer (CPO) at Ezibeleni SAPS, would help him develop solid working relationships with traditional leaders as he would be based at the deep rural Glen Grey police station.
“I am savvy with rural and traditional matters, as I am from a royal family. I have served as a community liaising police officer before, where I had to forge good working relations between the SAPS and the community. The task at hand is great, but I am giving my life to it,” he said.
Encouraging the members to their new roles, Cluster Commander for Komani SAPS, Major General Funeka Siganga said, “The more the decorations, the more the responsibilities”. She, however, said she was confident about the officers’ work ethic.
“You have proven your capabilities on my watch and I have no doubt that you will continue serving the public selflessly and help to half crime in the country within a decade as the president of the country said,” she said.
