Four decades of service – and counting

Brigadier Kobus Lategan (58) has spent the majority of his life serving the community, fighting crime and keeping criminals in line.

At the tender age of 18, Lategan joined the police on December 1, 1983, where he formed part of the Blitz Patrol Unit a year later. To give a summary of all the different units Lategan has formed part of, he’s been a diver since 1995 and a part of the K9 unit for 30 years.

He helped plan and execute what he referred to as ‘chopper drops’, where they worked alongside the police’s aviation unit to drop police officers into areas all around Gauteng at different times and places to heighten the police visibility in high crime areas.

Lategan was assigned to the Roodepoort Police Station’s K9 Unit 24 years ago and was also assigned as Vispol’s Commander until 2007. Lategan took a leap of faith and transferred to Johannesburg Central’s Police Station and enjoyed his time working in the district, recalling being assigned to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and other major events in the area.

“I was the authorising officer for events like the 947 cycle race,” he explained.

He climbed the ranks and was the first SA police officer in history to win Interpol’s International Intellectual Property Crime Investigators College’s Professional Service Award while he was Johannesburg’s Vispol Commander.

Lategan started focusing on counterfeit goods and shutting down factories and vendors after brand protectors and the protectors’ lawyers came to him and explained the magnitude of the criminal activity in South Africa. He conducted busts and raids after receiving warrant orders to enter suspicious buildings that were either manufacturing or storing counterfeit goods.

The counterfeit goods industry started to boom in Joburg CBD and, along with his primary assignment as Vispol Commander, he continued to help police in the counterfeit industry. He mentioned an incident in August 2019, where they were attacked during a raid; officers were injured. This did not deter him and his team, they used the attack as a lesson and adjusted their tactics accordingly.

In another raid later on they were able to clear out the building with no injuries, besides damage to their vehicles. Lategan estimated that they confiscated R3.2b worth of goods during that raid and booked R2m in notes.

In July they conducted a big raid, confiscating R95m worth of goods and cigarettes, and then they went again and got R75m of counterfeit goods. Everything needs to be destroyed as per protocol.

“The sad thing is, these counterfeit goods have such a negative impact on the South African economy, surmounting up to millions lost as the people making and selling counterfeit products do not pay tax,” he emphasised.

He spent 10 days in Japan with 25 other countries learning about the different ways in which they combat the counterfeit industry, and was proud to say that South Africa is not far behind the best of them. He talked about the various ports of entry where counterfeit goods get smuggled into the country, like coal trucks and cargo ships.

“Some of these shops have reinforced concrete and steel doors where we need to use Jaws-of-Life or other hydraulics to force the doors open,” he exclaimed. When they raid factories they have to dismantle silkscreens and sewing machines and destroy any counterfeit products they find.

“Next time you think of buying something from the man on the street corner selling glasses, caps, or cables, remember in doing so you are supporting organised crime,” he stated.

Lategan reached the rank of full Colonel in 1990 and was promoted to Brigadier on November 1, which extended his service until 2028.

Other than fighting crime and completing busts, Lategan has run 10 Comrades Marathons and enjoys mountain biking. “I try and go for dives wherever I go, so I’ve dived in the Red Sea, Madagascar, and the Maldives to name a few places,” he explained.