Thokoza SAPS celebrates Mandela Day
Thokoza SAPS members spent their 67 minutes for Mandela Day at the police station’s barracks hall, where they honoured the hard-working volunteers who help the police, on Monday, July 30.
Community Policing Forum (CPF) members, patrollers and community members who work hand in hand with the police in combating crime were honoured on the day.
Certificates, blankets and food parcels were given to CPF members.
On top of that, 100 bicycles were given to patrollers and CPF members.
Cst Mashiane from Thokoza Police Station said the purpose of the day was to thank the volunteers who wake up in the morning to help the community without being paid even a single cent.
“So our 67 minutes is about thanking these hard-working members of the community for their good deeds,” said Mashiane.
The bicycles that were donated were previously used by the learners from Thabo Ntsako Secondary School. They were given to the school by the Department of Education.
Mamsy Masetloa, principal of Thabo Ntsako Secondary School, said the bicycles eventually became risks to the learners’ lives.
“There were thugs who wanted to forcefully take them away from the learners. As a school we thought taking them away from the learners would save their lives. So we had to come up with another way of using the bicycles. Keeping them in the storeroom was not a good idea, because it was very costly. So we thought giving them to the patrollers was a good idea. We pitched the idea to the Department of Education and they loved the idea. That is why we are here today, to hand over these bicycles to the patrollers,’ said Masetloa.
She said they believe the patrollers will make a good use of the bicycles.
The bicycles will make the work of the patrollers easier because they will not have to travel around on foot to do their work.
Desmond Tshabalala, the patrollers’ commander in chief, said it felt good to have their hard work recognised in this manner.
“Our work is not the easiest. Especially working with different people who want different things. Sometimes it becomes very painful to be belittled by the very same people we serve, who call us names while we are trying to help. Others tell us to our face that we can’t tell them what to do, because we are not paid for what we are doing. But when they are in trouble, they are the ones who remember us first. Fortunately we don’t remind them of the hurtful things they said to us, because we have their best interests at heart,” explained Tshabalala.
Col Reckson Shiburi, the station commander at Thokoza SAPS, thanked the patrollers for their help.
“This community is not easy to police, because of the large number of criminal activities happening around here. But because of working hand in hand with the community as well as the CPF and patrollers, we have managed to reduce crime, such as the hostel killings that Thokoza was known for. Because of our hard work we have been recognised at the national level as the best police station in the cluster.
“I am so happy that even the Department of Education has recognised what we are doing. We highly appreciate what they have done for us today by giving us bicycles,” said Shiburi.
Shiburi also thanked the Khotso Service Station (Thokoza) management for sponsoring the food parcels.
