It is also the foundation for her most recent appointment. Hadebe takes over from Lt Gen Nneke Ledwaba who retired a month ago.
She says growing up, she never envisioned becoming a police officer but rather a matron at a local hospital in Mpumalanga where she comes from. “Unfortunately due to financial reasons, my father could not afford to send me to a nursing college and I enrolled at the police academy. On that first day when I went for the interview I got the job and I believe it is because my determination and commitment to serve was visible and it stood out. Years later, here I am convinced that I am at the right place at the right time.”
Hadebe holds among others a national diploma, and a B.Tech degree in police administration both from the Tshwane University of Technology, and an LLB degree from the University of South Africa. Hadebe says the news of her appointment left her in tears. She previously served the force in Mpumalanga, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
”I may not know what makes me different from the previous commissioners, but I do know that I have the capabilities to hold and work this post. I do not compete with others, only myself and in the next six years before I retire I would have addressed challenges of abuse against women and children because I believe they deserve more dignity than they are currently served.”
According to Hadebe, some of the issues she holds close are improving the standard of service delivery across the province, upgrading the infrastructure of various police stations to better the safety of officers and the public, accelerating the Y-cop programme which sees the introduction of young uniformed members of the force who are trained and groomed to become officers, and ensuring that the necessary police structures of command are in place, and fully functioning while strengthening relations with community stakeholders.
“I have noted that there is an outcry from the public to increase the number of police stations, satellite stations and points of contacts in the community. There is also a need to increase the human resource factor in the department. Due to Covid-19 we have lost some members including those who decided to retire. Our resources are currently stretched and that threatens the safety of our people. Fortunately we do have plans in place to address these issues but building new police stations might take some time. We will be engaging more with communities to understand how we can better serve them, while educating them on some of our policies and laws.”
Hadebe says the department will be making use of its reservists to supplement the gap in human resources while establishing more points of contacts between the community, such as mobile stations where community members can make use of police services as opposed to travelling far.
She finished off by saying that crime prevention and delivering a much needed service to the community is her biggest motivating factor to get out of bed in the mornings.
“Knowing that my services along with those of the entire department are vital, is enough to wake me up in the mornings. Also the dedication from the members in blue is also a motivating factor. From now until my retirement, my duties will be to serve and protect and thereafter I will be joining my son at his law firm where I intent to advocate for family issues.”
