End of an era

Pottie started his career as a Detective Constable in Fochville in 1985. Having a passion for crime investigation, he constantly empowered himself by expanding his knowledge in the field where he served in the South African Police Services (SAPS). He was later appointed as the head of the detective branch in Carletonville, where he served for several years as Lieutenant Colonel. Pottie went on to become the head of the detective branch in Krugersdorp. In 2000, he resigned from the SAPS to pursue his career in Gladiator Security Services. During that time, someone introduced him to skydiving, where he developed such a passion for the sport that he now boasts over 4,000 skydives to his name. He holds a World Record in formation skydiving and two South African records: one in formation skydiving and the other in wingsuit flying. (The Huisgenoot magazine recently featured his skydiving accomplishments and achievements).
“In 2022, I decided it was time to start scaling down on the security front and stand back so the younger generation could rather do the dangerous work,” he joked. The acquisition process of Gladiator Community Protection started in 2022, and Pottie transferred full ownership to the new owner on 1 March 2023. Having served the Carletonville and Fochville communities in safety and security for over 35 years (police and security combined), Pottie expressed his sincere gratitude to all his former clients who have faithfully supported him. “To me, it was a privilege to be of service to them.” He also said he hoped Gladiator would continue to be the preferred service provider in the Merafong City area under the new ownership. No longer being involved in Gladiator Community Protection, Pottie took the “sensible” step to limit himself to less stressful activities, like jumping out of aeroplanes!
Having been chairperson of the JSC Skydiving Club for over 15 years, Pottie is a qualified PASA instructor and also holds ratings as a coach in Formation Skydiving and Professional demonstration (show) jumps at events in sports stadiums and schools, etc. He is also a qualified tandem instructor and has already taken several residents on skydives to experience the thrill of freefall at speeds exceeding 200 km/h while being clipped onto him with a tandem harness for a safe skydive.
Pottie invites the communities of Merafong City to visit the JSC Skydiving Club and expresses his hope that some, or most of them, would be interested in experiencing the thrill of a life-changing skydive!
“You owe it to yourself to experience this at least once in your lifetime; it is the most liberating experience you can imagine!” Anyone interested can visit their website at www.jsc.co.za.