Your friendly neighbourhood station commander

Randfontein Police Station Commander Brigadier Manamela is a disciplined individual and man who is all about hard work. Although he enjoys life, he says that he, unfortunately, has little to no time for any form of social activity.

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This was discovered by the Herald recently, when we visited him at his office, to get a sense of the man heading the local station.
Upon arrival, Manamela had just returned from back-to-back meetings and stepped into his office with a cup of tea and spoke a little about himself.

The man heading up the station was born and bred in Mokopane in Limpopo and is married with six children, who are all males.
Although he spends most of his time at work, Manamela does enjoy going out with his wife and youngest children as his older sons prefer doing their activities separately.

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Speaking to the Herald in an interview, Manamela made fun of this and said that he has resorted to letting them be and does outings with those that enjoy his company.

“Three of my children are all grown up now and they don’t want to go out with me, so I just take the young ones to the cinema, together with my wife to kick back and relax. We sometimes also go hiking in the mountains as a family, which is an activity that I enjoy. Although I don’t smoke and drink, I sometimes do go to social gatherings, but I don’t even stay for long. I don’t do much for fun. I once used to play soccer but not anymore,” said Manamela while giggling.

He added that he goes to church on Sundays but not always, as he uses his weekends to squeeze in some family time as well.
At this point, it became clear that the man behind the title does not have much of a social life, as he has dedicated most of his time to his work.

He often squeezes his gym sessions in the morning before work or after work and uses this as a way to relax.

According to him, this also assists in relieving the pressure that comes with being in charge of the station and ensuring that the ship is being steered in the right direction.

“I like working with people, I’ve got a passion for my work, and I think I spend most of my time at work than at home. Taking on the position of a Station Commander is a challenge because everyone who works in the station has a problem. That means I must make sure that I am calm and take care of my health so I can assist everyone to the best of my abilities. That’s why I go to the gym most of the time to make sure that I am fit and in a good state of mind,” said Manamela.

Manamela is charismatic is a leader who believes in solutions and participative management, as well as allowing his workers to be vocal about whatever challenges they face.

Apart from that, he sometimes takes a liking to read a book after work when he gets home and reflects on the day he has had.

He says that his favourite dish is a plate of pap served with any kind of meat.