Boitumelo appointed as Ermelo’s interim station commander for Women’s Month
Her message in this month of celebrating women is for women in the community to empower themselves and to stand up against gender-based violence.
ERMELO – Lieutenant Colonel Boitumelo Mokwena was appointed to acting station commander of the Ermelo Police Station for August, as part of the police’s celebrations of Women’s Month.
She said she is dedicated to every case that is assigned to her, and will not ever give up on one until the perpetrator has been brought to book.
Her dream of becoming a flight attendant soon changed direction when she was in need of employment and applied at the police service.
“It was here that I realised I was born to be a police officer, and to make a difference in people’s lives,” Mokwena said.
She joined the police force in KwaMhlanga in 2002 as a constable. In 2011, she was promoted to a group leader at the Witbank Police Station, and two years later she transferred to Kriel where she was promoted to branch commander.
This was short-lived as she was needed elsewhere. Five years later she was promoted to acting branch commander and resumed her duties in KwaMhlanga.
Mokwena moved to Ermelo in 2019, where she took up the role of branch commander of Ermelo Police Station.
To be a woman in the police force was not always easy for her, and presented many challenges, but she always stood her ground and let her work speak for her.
Mokwena mentioned a few cases she is proud of, in which the suspects were on the run for a long time, but due to her commitment, she tracked them down, arrested them and brought some closure to the families.
She admitted it might be frustrating for the family of a victim of a crime if it is not solved immediately, but she said she always keeps in touch with the families, informing them that she will not give up.
Giving up is not an option for her, as she believes that being a police officer, you have the power to better the lives of the community that you serve.
“Bringing culprits to justice and knowing that you made a difference in a victims’ life, make the harder days a little easier.”
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