Brig. Hennie van Rensburg, former head of the Operational Coordination Centre in the Northern Cape, was nominated as the best senior operational manager of the year, policing level 13 to 15.
The tenth national excellence awards ceremony took place at the International Convention Centre in Durban on 26 January.
It was officiated by the minister of police, Senzo Mchunu. In Van Rensburg’s absence at the ceremony, the provincial commissioner, Lt Gen. Koliswa Otola, accepted the award on his behalf.
Van Rensburg retired from the (SAPS on 31 December 2024 after serving for more than 39 years. He performed his last operational duties on New Year’s Eve.
The highlights of his career include the illicit mining operations executed in the Namaqua district in September 2023, during which 867 suspects were arrested for illicit mining.
He also played a pivotal role in other operations aimed at curbing illicit mining, as well as those involving the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the 2024 general elections, to mention a few.
Otola, on behalf of the management and colleagues, congratulated Van Rensburg, together with other officers who received awards at this national event.
Col Marli Strydom was nominated as first runner-up in the category for Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit investigator, level 8 to 12; Lt. Col Rassie Smit as Protection and Security Services (PSS) employee of the year, level 8 to 12; and Sgt Juanita Lackey, FCS investigator, level 5 to 7, as second runner-up.
