Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar has probably experienced the best and the worst our vibrant city has to offer.
In a career that has spanned 35 years, Minnaar shared some of his most interesting cases.
The first case that stood out for him was one in the North Eastern suburbs of Johannesburg. He recalled that he was radioed about a bull found in the yard of a resident. “When I got to the house in Lombardi, I found that this massive bull had made its way into the resident’s kitchen,” explained Minnaar.
When he asked the resident how the bull ended up in the kitchen, the resident explained that they had left their front gate open. “Along with that, they had also left their back door open, which led to the kitchen and that was where the resident was preparing vegetables,” explained Minnaar. He added that the bull looked startled when he walked into the kitchen. Supt Minnaar then called the local SPCA and the bull was led out safely.
Another one of his most interesting cases was when he stopped a female driver for driving too fast. “She was speeding down the M1 at around 2pm and I pulled her over and asked why she was driving so fast. She explained that she was at the mall when she realised that she had left a pot on the stove and was rushing back home to switch it off,” said Minnaar.
He also recalled how he had once pulled over a taxi that used pliers as a steering wheel. “I also found a car once without break pads and they used cardboard to replace them,” said Supt Minnaar.
He once arrested a motorist one night near the Houghton-offramp after he witnessed how the motorist was swerving in the lanes.
“I found that the gentleman was intoxicated and I put him in the squad car. As we were driving to the police station he said ‘I should have listened to you’. I sat there confused and asked what does he mean by that. The man then said, ‘Well three years ago you pulled me over for the same reason and advised that instead of drinking alcohol I should rather have Appletizer’,” said Supt Minnaar.
Related Stories: 35 years dedicated to the job
