A caring sister to those in need

Known as a caring sister to the destitute on the streets of Yeoville and a confidant to her colleagues at the Yeoville Police Station, Constable Lindiwe Sophie Pile comes from the loving family.

She was raised in Tweelaagter in Rustenburg.

She started schooling at Bathlalerwa Primary School, went on to Mphoto Middle School and finished at Alexander High School.

It was at Mphoto Middle School where she won beauty pageants.

“I had a slim, beautiful body then. I won the Miss Mphoto Middle School competition. I also won the Miss Ellerines Rustenburg competition,” said Const Pile, with a warm smile.

She said she was an active child at school, representing the school in different sporting disciplines.

Const Pile said she did all this with the support of her grandmother, Mrs Mchadi Pile, her mother, Ms Marry and her aunt, Ms Asmats Pile. The rest of her family also supported her.

As a mother of two, Const Pile joined the Yeoville SAPS as a reservist in 2007.

She said she started to volunteer as a reservist after she was forced to drop out of college, where she was studying Travel and Tourism. She had to stop studying due to a lack of financial support.

“I wanted to contribute to fighting crime. I did not want to just sit at home doing nothing. While I was a reservist I applied at the SAPS and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) for permanent positions.

“It was not easy in the beginning, partly because I was not getting paid. But due to good mentorship of my seniors like Warrant Officer Samuel Letswalo and Colonel Lubese Motaung, I am here today. They gave me hope that one day things would work out. They treated me as one of their own before I was even accepted into the SAPS,” said Const Pile.

She was finally accepted into the police service in 2009.

“That was a good year for me. I was accepted into both the SAPS and JMPD, but I chose the SAPS because I thought it would give me a better platform to help fight crime in the community,” she said.

She said that once she left college, she started working at the Yeoville SAPS were she has been stationed ever since.

“I did foot patrols, worked at the client service centre (CSC), Crime Prevention, Detectives Department, crime prevention and now for the past three years I have been the coordinator for the social crime department,” said Const Pile.

Const Pile said she works with the community to fight social ills. She also helps her colleagues to deal with their psychological and social challenges.

“I work with homeless people and drug addicts to try and find help for them. I also speak with my colleagues and their families, and help to deal with their problems. If I cannot help them I refer them to the right departments,” she said.

She said she shares the problems of her clients with God.

“I am a religious woman. I pray every time I wake up and before and after work. Because what these people tell me I cannot share with anybody, it is something between me and them. Sometimes, with those who need help, I debrief by praying about their problems. I talk to God and I feel relieved afterwards,” said Const Pile.

She said helping at least one person per day fulfils her.

She said her motto is to treat people equally.

“I wish everyone could do what I do. Do not look down on any human being, irrespective of their situation. The fact that they are living beings means they deserve some respect, even if they live on the street, or are poor or are arrested. Treat people the way you would like to be treated,” she said.

She said the people she interacts with know her to be a fair, open and loving person. But they also know that if they do something wrong, they will be arrested.

“I want them to be open and free around me. I want them to be able to report anything they find uncomfortable around them or crime happening around them. Police work depends on the information and the information comes from the community,” she said.

Cost Pile said there is something she will never forget, which was told to her by her grandmother, Mrs Mchadi Pile.

“Respect yourself as a woman my child. The way you dress is the way people will judge and treat you. If you wear inappropriate clothes, people will treat you likewise. Depending on the occasion you are attending, dress accordingly. You cannot dress like a prostitute at a funeral and expect to be treated as a believer.” said Const Pile.