Captain Ndobe retires after a successful career at SAPS

Katlehong South SAPS (Ramokonopi) media liaison officer Captain Mega Ndobe has retired from the SAPS after a successful 34-year career in the police service.

Ndobe is originally from Phaphazela village in Malamulele West Region, Limpopo. He joined the police force in 1987 at the age of 21 after completing his matric the previous year.

Initially, he wanted further his studies in Giyani as he had an interest in mechanical engineering but due to a lack of funds, he had to look for other options.

“In 1987 I was doing my matric and I had already applied for my identity document before writing exams. The following year in January I got my identity document and on January 19, 1988, we received our results,” said Ndobe.

He said the fee for the course was approximately R460 and to his surprise, while he was still looking for that money his younger sister got married with a lobola amounting to R900.

He thought that would be the key to assisting him further his studies but when he asked his family to give him R460 to study, his father did not understand.

“On February 9, 1988, I got the offer to come to Katlehong from someone I went to school with. He was working at Katlehong Municipal Police (KMP) which was under the town council. The KMP was looking for people at the time. He sent a letter to say he will take a group of people that he grew up and went to school with,” he explained.

“We met the following day at Malamulele town. I think there were at least 50 of us. We travelled with a bus to Louis Trichardt, now known as Makhado, and took a train from there.”

Ndobe said when he left his parents were not home, only his grandmother from his maternal side knew.

“I remember when I told her that I am going to join the police she said go and die on your own,” said Ndobe as he laughed.

“I would be very happy if I was going on pension while she is still alive. I think we would find time to reflect on that day and laugh about it.”

He said on their arrival they started signing paperwork at Hlahatsi Section, Katlehong where they were stationed. They started training in May but before they began training they worked at the municipal offices. Their duties were to clean the yard between March and April, he added.

“Remember, it was not easy as we ended up cleaning graveyards. I remember one of the guys we came with refused. He said would not clean graveyards because it is against his spirituality. He left because if you did not want to clean, you were threatened with dismissal,” he continued.

“The municipal offices were always clean including the one at Khwesini, but when you look at them now you would not say it is a municipal office.

“Other offices do not exist anymore. Can you believe that where there is currently a Sasol garage in Hlahatsi that used to be the municipal office? Hunters Field Stadium used to be a space for municipal vehicles.”

He said he only went back home to Limpopo to inform his family about his new endeavour.

“I got my first salary on March 26. It was R160 and they deducted R40 because they lent it to us so we could have pocket money.

“I was left with R120, but I managed to travel to Limpopo and properly inform my parents where I was. I also managed to buy myself a t-shirt, trousers and a pair of takkies so that I could be presentable like a person who’s employed,” he explained as he smiled.

He further said they went to training for three months at Tladi Section in March and it was not an easy process.

“I got sick during training. I was admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital for a week. When I got discharged, I called them and no one came to collect me.

“I remember around that time we were using ticky boxes. You had to load money before you call and when you call, it does not go straight to the office it goes to public phones.”

He said he depended on people who picked up the call to pass a message to the instructor for them to send him transport. Unfortunately, his message was not delivered.

“I was wearing my training uniform. Around that time, you could not walk in the township wearing the police or the training uniform, as it was very dangerous and you could be killed.

“I remembered that there was a friend of mine who lived in Orlando East. I had to walk from Bara to Orlando East. I spent the night there and the following day he gave me money for transport. I was forced to get in the taxi while I was wearing my uniform, but it was very early in the morning so people did not recognize me,” he said.

However, Ndobe shared that he was punished for spending the night in the township because they were not allowed to have visits. He had to do pushups with his fists on gravel for his punishment, he explained.

“We completed our training around July. We returned wearing our uniform. We were wearing green trousers, khaki shirts and military boots or green boots. We encountered a lot of challenges during our first month of work.”

“My duties were to guard various councillors at Ramokonopi, Nlapo, Monaheng, Tsholo, Khumalo and Siluma View section, among others. I remember we were under a white old man. The only black senior officer was Brigadier Themba Denge, who was a warrant officer,” he explained further.

“The first challenge occurred when one of our colleagues shot himself with a pump gun. I became very scared as I thought of how dangerous the work was, but we persevered. Until January 5, 1989, when one of the people we came with was short and passed away.”

He said another one got injured in his eye. He got injured during a fight with a group called tolerist. He was later transferred to Boksburg, and some got transfers, depending on where they stayed.

“Tolerist did not get along with municipal police because we were protecting the building while they were fighting with the municipality. During one of the evening shifts, the group of tolerist planned to bomb police officers while they were parading.”

“They came from behind and waited for the parade before they started throwing bombs at the police. The bombs exploded and some of the police started running towards the gate, but there was another group at the gate.”
“When you ran to the gate and met with a hail of bullets shot from AK-47 rifles. That is how one of the colleagues, George, we came with lost his life.”

He said his friend he went to school and matriculated with was on duty, while he was off-duty. At the time the bomb exploded he was sleeping at the hostel.

“I heard the bombs in my sleep and I jumped from my bed because of the loud sound. I asked myself what was happening. I only found out the following day when I reported for work. I found my friend sitting down the jacket he was wearing was jacket torn apart because of the pins from the hand grenade bomb.”

“I wanted to understand what had happened. He told me that George died during the attack. He suggested that we quit and go back home, but I was able to console him because I did not see the attack I was only told about it.”

He said other challenges aroused on February 11, 1989, when they were reported for a nightshift where he guarded councillor Sithole at Khumalo.

During the brief they were told that former state president Nelson Mandela will be released from prison the same night and that they should be careful, he explained.

“We knocked off at work at 6am. Around 9 to 10am people were lively because they were happy that Mandela was being released.”

“That same year strong violence erupted, which caused many of us who were under municipal police to move from Lindela hostel. I moved to Mnisi. The hostel was destroyed during that violence, initiated by school children and some of the taxi associations. A lot of people were killed.”

He said things changed in 1990 as the government was introducing SAPS to replace the municipal police and the formation of the CPF after the 1994 elections.

“After the elections, there were mass killings during the tribalism violence between Zulus and Xhosa. On some days I could not even go to work. It was frightening. It was normal to find people burning while walking on the streets.

“The violence continued from 1991 to 1994 when it settled a bit because of the election and people were anticipating having the first black president. Otherwise, Kathorus was burning. It was impossible to work in Katlehong, Vosloorus and Thokoza,” he said.

Ndobe said he was part of the group of people who held discussions with the CPF to plan the building of the Katlehong South SAPS police station in 1995 and its location.

He said they decided to build it at Ramokonopi Section, Katlehong because the area was like a battlefield where dead bodies were found every day.

During his career, Ndobe was able to save three people from committing suicide. Although he was a communication officer at Katlehong South SAPS, he was able to arrest and get successful convictions.

He said he said he looks forward to relaxing and sending time with family. Otherwise what keeps him busy is running a kota business as well as planning for his future businesses, which he could not disclose.

The station held a farewell for Ndobe at Solomzi’s Guest House, Palm Ridge, on September 30.