THE Kloof SAPS Satellite Station has a new commander.
Armed with 37 years of experience, Capt Yoga Gounden is geared up to take on his new position with determination and dedication to serve the Kloof and Wyebank community.
Inspired by James Bond, as a young boy, Gounden was always fascinated with the investigative skills and crime fighting scenes in action movies.
He was introduced to police work by his uncle who was a detective.
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“I think he might have seen something in me or it was a calling. He chose me, and I am the youngest of four boys.
Gounden’s wishlist includes having a good relationship with the community who will work with him to assist and fight crime and criminal elements.
He started working at the Durban Central Station and worked in Pinetown SAPS for 18 years before being appointed to his new post early this month.
After being in this industry for so many years, 55-year-old Gounden has endured near-death experiences, but one always comes to mind and still gives him goosebumps.
“I remember it like it was yesterday, it was in 2003 and we were responding to a cash-in-transit heist which had just unfolded in New Germany. We were going after five suspects who fled from New Germany to Wyebank and then Kloof.
“We split, three other colleagues and I were following a blood trail through the gorge and the suspect was hiding in the ravine. We were in the open and we heard gunshots being fired at us and we tried to hide in the tiny spaces we could find.
A close shave
Gounden said when the firing stopped, they came out and found the suspect with the gun still pointing in their direction so they fired back and the suspect was shot and killed.
“That was truly a miracle because when the gun, a R5 rifle, was checked, two bullets were discovered to have been jammed down the chamber of the gun. I always thank God, maybe I or my colleague/s could have died that day, but it was definitely not our time.”
He said the worse part was that no one knew where they were.
“We were covered by long grass and we lost the only phone we had on us along the way. There was a chopper going around so we had to climb up a rock and burnt dead leaves and grass to attract attention and that is how we made it out alive,” said Gounden.
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He added that the reality of not coming back home is the reason he always prays and make sure that he leaves home happy, “you never know what you are going to face so we just persevere. This job of fighting crime has new challenges everyday.”
When he is not at work Gounden said he is involved in his temple which is in Newlands. “I am also the treasurer of a Cancer Relay Organisation in Reservoir Hills where we host a 12-hour overnight relay to raise funds for the CANSA association and have raised a substantial amount over the past six years,” he said.
The satellite station is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. People can contact Crime Stop on 0860 10111 which is the quickest way and must remember to ask for a reference number, alternatively Kloof SAPS can be reached on 031 764 2334/1470.
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