Umbilo SAPS bids farewell to station commander

THIS week, station commander for Umbilo SAPS, Col Teddy Munusamy, handed over the reins to Lt Col Richard Ximba who takes on the role of acting station commander.

Munusamy was appointed as station commander in 2020. He joined the South African Police Service in 1982. He was first stationed at Chatsworth SAPS and served on the SAPS band for a year. In 1990, he reported to the Police Emergency Services in Durban and remained there as a commander until 2013 when he was deployed to Phoenix SAPS. In 2018, he worked in the Chatsworth Cluster Office which managed 10 police stations in the cluster. From 2020, Munusamy served at Umbilo SAPS where he was appointed as station commander.

Reflecting on his time as station commander, Munusamy said community participation was a focal point. He expressed his gratitude to the Umbilo Community Policing Forum (CPF) in assisting the SAPS in the fight against crime.

“I took over as station commander during the Covid-19 pandemic. There were very few community initiatives during that time. In the last year, we got our three sectors up and running. Community participation is essential in the fight against crime. The previous Umbilo CPF chairperson, Heather Roos, was a hard worker – she did everything in her power to make sure the community was working well with the SAPS. We must thank her. The current CPF chairperson, Calvin Thomas, has continued this work,” said Munusamy.

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Umbilo is divided into three sectors, monitored by different community watch groups which function under the banner of the Umbilo CPF, working in partnership with the SAPS. During Munusamy’s time as station commander, the Umbilo community faced the July unrest of 2021 – a time of unabated looting and riots. Community partnerships between the SAPS and the CPF proved vital during the unrest.

“During the July riots, the president came out personally and recognised the community members on the streets working with the CPF and SAPS. We recognise those people who operate under the CPF,” said Munusamy.

As Ximba takes over the role of acting station commander, his primary focus is to continue Munusamy’s work.

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“As acting station commander, my role is to ensure that the community is involved as it currently is and to reduce crime in Umbilo and make sure residents in Umbilo are feeling safe and secure,” he said.

Ximba joined the SAPS in 1992 when he was stationed at the Westville SAPS. In 2004, Ximba was deployed to the Point SAPS, and in 2008, he was sent to Nkandla for two years where he worked as a detective. He was deployed to the Pinetown SAPS where he worked until he was appointed as the provincial commander for taxi violence in 2013. In 2015, Ximba was appointed as branch commander for Umbilo SAPS.