Col Matshedeso Mbele made history on February 1 when she became the first female Boksburg SAPS station commander, taking over the reins from Col Daniel Baloyi, who went on retirement in November.
Mbele may be a newcomer to town, but she is not a novice at managing a police station. Her previous experience in the post of a station commander at Eden Park SAPS and 25 years of service in the SAPS stand her in good stead for her current position to lead her members in providing service of high quality to the community of Boksburg.
She is also armed with a BTech degree in policing, a diploma in policing and a certificate in human resources.
Mbele joined the SAPS in 1995 and after finishing her training at the Police Academy in Pretoria, the now colonel started working at Etwatwa SAPS, where she served as a constable. From there she worked herself up, being promoted to the ranks of sergeant, inspector, captain, lieutenant-colonel and colonel, after which she assumed command of the Eden Park Police Station.
She previously served at Benoni SAPS, Lenasia SAPS, Katlehong SAPS and at the SAPS Ekurhuleni West Cluster offices.
Strong partnership
As part of her efforts to address the crime issues previously raised by the community, the new top cop has already embarked on a mission to build a strong partnership with the community and other law enforcement agencies, including EMPD, security companies and community forums.
She looks forward to gaining the trust of the community in fighting crime.
“To eradicate crime, we must have a strong working relationship with the community we serve and the other stakeholders within our precinct. Therefore, I am appealing to the community to work with us in cleaning up this policing area. Together, we can make it.”
Mbele urged residents to report any criminal activities, including police wrongdoing. She called on members of the public to give support to the many good and hardworking police officers.
Major challenges
The new boss said she is already aware of some of the major challenges, which include house break-ins, smash-and-grabs, vandalism of infrastructure, illegal shebeens and others.
“I am already aware of some of the challenges and I’m happy that we have stakeholders who are committed and willing to work with us to take on these crime challenges to make residents feel safe and protected,” said Mbele.
“The law will be enforced to prevent crime. We will conduct more intelligence-driven operations, increase police visibility, especially during the night. Also, we plan to intensify our school projects aimed at preventing delinquencies among youngsters and encouraging them to prioritise education.”
Mbele pointed out to ensure the smooth running of the station, the wellness of her members and equipping them to be ready to assist is also top of mind.
Mbele was born in Boksburg at the then BBH, now Thambo Memorial Hospital. She grew up in Dennilton, Mpumalanga, and matriculated at St Joseph’s Secondary Combined School in Dennilton before returning to Ekurhuleni, where her policing journey began.
She is married to Kaizer Mbele and the couple is blessed with three boys, Kagiso, Sizwe and Sabelo.
“I always wanted to become a police officer to protect our communities against criminals, and I fell in love with the police uniform at an early age.”
After finishing high school, Mbele moved to Daveyton, where exposure to perpetual common robberies with criminals snatching people’s belonging while walking along one of the streets notorious for mugging, stimulated her childhood dream of joining the fight against crime.
“In my first attempt to join the service, my application was rejected on the basis that I did not meet the minimum height requirement. However, that did nothing to diminish my enthusiasm to become a police officer. After the height requirement criterion was lifted, I applied again, and the rest is history.
“My door will always be open to solve any type of crime or policing issues in our area. People can set up an appointment to come and see me at the police station or contact me directly on 082 461 3443.”
