THE Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Asset Management, Major General Tembeka Dyantyi and the Mount Road Cluster Commander, Major General Thembisile Patekile, welcomed to the Eastern Cape four courageous former and current police officials who sacrificed three weeks to walk from Bloemfontein to Port Elizabeth in support of cancer awareness.
On May 7 Deon van der Merwe (60), a former police officer lieutenant colonel from the Bloemfontein K9 Unit, set out on foot together with three SAPS colleagues on a journey from Bloemfontein to Port Elizabeth to raise awareness and funds for CANSA.
The group walked over 600km and on May 24 they descended on the friendly city of Port Elizabeth.
They were received by the SAPS K9 and Mounted Unit’s dogs and horses.
In August 2015, Deon van der Merwe’s wife, who was also an SAPS member, succumbed to the deadly disease.
Van der Merwe walked this distance to honour his wife, Johlene’s ,long and courageous fight against breast cancer.
Van der Merwe also aimed at using this walk as an encouragement of hope and support to all SAPS members who are living with cancer.
Patekile, in his welcoming address to the walkers, expressed his appreciation and praise to the team for choosing the Eastern Cape as a destination for creating cancer awareness.
“Knowing that you have cancer is not the end of the world,but instead,with early detection and treatment, you can prolong or overcome the disease,” concluded Patekile.
