In 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected British prime minister, rock band Pink Floyd released their iconic album, The Wall, and one young man from Kempton Park decided to spend his career serving South Africans.
Lieutenant Colonel Marthinus Wessel Koekemoer of the Midrand Police Station was honoured for his 40 years of service at the South African Police Service Provincial Annual Excellence Awards which were held in October at Emperors Palace and where he received his 40-year loyal service medal and certificate.
Beginning his career while he was still a teenager, Koekemoer has worked at stations across the province and is dedicated to serving the people of South Africa to the best of his ability.
“I started my career working [as an officer] at the airport doing normal police duties, and then I took my exams and become a sergeant in 1982,” he told the Midrand Reporter. “I finished my national diploma in police administration in December 1992.”
In 1994, as South Africa finally became a democracy, Koekemoer too began a new phase. He was transferred back to the airport to form part of the border police unit to help root out false documents.
“I learned a lot there about the falsification of documents. There were four of us in the unit, and we were trained by people from all over the world including from the United States, Britain and the French.”
In 1995, Koekemoer was promoted to the rank of captain, and in 2000 he was transferred to Norkem Park Police Station where he worked as a detective for a decade and a half, even being shot in the leg by robbers who were running a computer racket across national lines.
He only started working at Midrand Police Station in March last year, where he serves as the head of supply chain management.
“Midrand was a total change for me,” Koekemoer said. “The commander here [Brigadier David Tsotsotso] is absolutely brilliant, and all of us as colleagues are open here. I’ve tried to give back to others and have helped train other police officers where I can.”
In April 2020 and at the age of 60, Koekemoer will retire from the force after serving for 41 years. He said sometimes it had been a difficult road but he credited his success to his faith and knows that he always tried his best to uphold the values of a good police officer.
“Unfortunately there is a lot of corruption and I don’t stand for it. Many times in my career people have tried to offer me bribes, especially at the airport, but I never accepted them. This job is not playtime, I worked hard and all my thanks to God that I have gotten through everything.
“It’s an honour to serve my country, not everyone can. But God places you in the profession where you are meant to be.”
Once he retires, Koekemoer will spend time with his wife Sharon (married 37 years), as well as his two grown-up daughters, one grown-up son, and a seven-year-old grandson who loves hearing oupa’s stories.
Details: Midrand PolRobyn Kirk
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