AN operation conducted by female government officers stationed at King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) last Wednesday showed that women aren’t just pretty faces but a force to be reckoned with.
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As part of Women’s Month, a number of female colleagues from different government departments, such as SARS, the SAPS, the Metro Police and the Department of Immigration conducted a joint operation called Mbokodo, displaying their skills throughout the day by conducting roadblocks, intelligence-driven inspections in Tongaat, and interventions with their canine colleagues at international arrivals in the airport terminal.
The results of the operation are as follows:
Immigration: 85 inspections and five arrests
SAPS: 120 inspections and visible policing activities
Metro: 100 searches and 46 contraventions in terms of traffic violations
SARS Customs: 86 inspections, with confiscation of 154 800 illicit cigarettes valued at R207 000, 100 suspected counterfeit skin whiteners valued at R47 300 and 101 suspected counterfeit performance enhancers valued at R38 300.
“The whole idea of the operation was to show that women aren’t just sitting around drinking tea and looking good,” said Nomonde Mhlongo, head of Customs at KSIA, who initiated and led Operation Mbokodo.
“It’s important for the public to see this side of women, as well – we are also able to catch criminals, protect the economy and clean the streets of drugs,” she added.
KZN Provincial co-ordinator for border control in the SAPS, Lt-Col Theresa Naidoo, said it was gratifying to see that women were being given more recognition and opportunities in the area of law enforcement.
“In the SAPS, out of the nine provinces, five have female provincial commissioners,” she said.
“There’s a perception that only men can do these sorts of operational duties. But I feel we are just as good, if not better than men.”
She said she would like to see these sorts of joint operations become more regular in KZN. “When we work together, we see results,” she said. “It’s also a great opportunity to learn from each other and complement each others’ skills.”
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