The moment detective Const Jade Jacobs knows a case is watertight, he feels a surge of energy.

“It’s like something that shakes in your body or moves — electricity — that I get when I get a conviction or I arrest someone,” the 29-year-old detective at Lentegeur Police Station’s serious and violent crime unit said.

That surge struck twice in recent months, after Jacobs closed two cold cases for murder that had been handed to him as files to learn on when he joined the unit in 2022. The killers, who were both gangsters, received 15-year prison sentences.

Learning on cold cases

Jacobs has been in the police service for seven years. Within three months of joining Lentegeur Police Station from Steenberg, his commanding officer moved him to the serious and violent crime unit because he had been studying investigation through Unisa and knew the area well. Jacobs has lived there for 22 years.

The Aloe High alum was given old, unsolved dockets to work on which he inherited from officers no longer with the police.

The best thing when you get an old docket is to start from scratch

“They gave me dockets for me to learn on and to investigate,” he said. “Although I wasn’t experienced in police investigation, because I studied investigation and it’s to do with law, I had knowledge. I’m a quick learner.”

A murder from 2015

One docket dated back to Sunday 1 February 2015. There were no leads and no witnesses. The victim — a father — had been stabbed at a party.

When Jacobs received the docket in 2023, he went back to the area, spoke to neighbours and visited the house where the attack had taken place.

He tracked down the man who had given the victim a lift to hospital. Then he tracked down the girlfriend of the main suspect, who could not be traced at the time. After interviewing her and bringing her to understand that she would be complicit, she gave him the full account of what had happened that night.

She said that the man had been stabbed after an argument broke out over alcohol and money.

According to the neighbour who had rushed him to hospital, the man had come running up to him desperate for help.

As they drove, the dying man named his attacker. Those were his last words.

Armed with a warrant of arrest and a solid case, Jacobs brought Morne Kock, a gang member, to court. Kock pleaded guilty.

On Monday 30 March this year he was sentenced to 15 years in prison at the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court.

They [the family] messaged me when he got sentenced to say thank you because honestly, after almost 10 years, obviously, you give up

Closure

For the victim’s family, the news was almost too much to believe.

“They thought this case was closed. They never thought that they would get justice. So when I finally visited them and informed them, they could not believe it,” said Jacobs. “They messaged me when he got sentenced to say thank you because honestly, after almost 10 years, obviously, you give up.”

A murder from 2020

The second case was opened on Saturday 1 February 2020, after Clyde Lang was stabbed to death at a party. Jerome Peters, also a gang member, was identified as the suspect but witnesses had vanished and the accused had failed to appear in court.

When Jacobs took over the docket in 2022, he went back to the beginning.

“The best thing when you get an old docket is to start from scratch,” he said.

He found witnesses and built a case so thorough that Peters had no room to manoeuvre.

“Because of the investigation that was completed and everything that was done, they actually take the easy way out and plead guilty,” said Jacobs.

On Thursday 15 January this year, Peters was sentenced to 15 years in jail at the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court.

As I grew up, I literally saw this figure in front of me. He did investigations and I aspired to be like him

Growing up to make a difference

Jacobs grew up in the area he now polices, surrounded by gangsterism, and says he always wanted to change that.

“I wanted to make an impact in my community in a positive way,” he said.

He was inspired by his uncle, a former brigadier, Cecil Jacobs, who retired in 2020.

“As I grew up, I literally saw this figure in front of me. He did investigations and I aspired to be like him,” said Jacobs.

Still going

More cold cases are headed for court in the next two to three months, Jacobs said. Among them is a gang of robbers linked to over 40 house burglaries in the Montclare area. Since Jacobs arrested them, house robberies in the area have dropped to just two while the men have been in custody.

The solid detective work has earned him the respect of the community whom he says is largely on his side.

I’m not gonna let people put fear into me

“Some community members are happy for these convictions. Some of them can’t raise their voices, obviously for certain reasons and being fearful.”

However, others have threatened him, including some of the suspects.

“I was threatened that I would die before they could get convicted. That’s something I take. I just try to do my work. I’m not gonna let people put fear into me.”

Congratulations

Both the station and the Community Police Forum (CPF) congratulated Jacobs on his good work.

“As the Lentegeur CPF we want to commend the detective in getting these two convictions. It speaks to service excellence through diligence, hard work and perseverance and I want to congratulate the detective services of Lentegeur police.”