Get to know Yeoville’s new station commander

Colonel Happy Xaba who was recently appointed as the new station commander at Yeoville Police Station is adamant that a multi-disciplinary approach is a way to combat crime.

Xaba had spent most of his career within the support environment and had always been the activist for community policing and quality service delivery.

He highlighted five pillars to adhere by while working with the communities within the Yeoville policing precinct.

These pillars are integrated intelligence collection and analysis, proactive policing and crime prevention, combat approach, communication and community mobilisation as well as reaction policing.

“We shall deal with criminality and poor service delivery at Yeoville by working with the community using, but not limited to, these five pillars,” he said.

Xaba was born in Soweto and completed his Grade 12, Standard 10 at the time, in Ladysmith. He then went on to acquire Baccalaureus Juris in 1992 at the University of Zululand.

He joined the South African Police Service in 1993 where he was deployed at Meadowlands Police Station. “I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in July 1995. I worked there as an investigating officer until April 1996,” he recalled.

He then moved to the Departmental Hearing Unit in April 1996 working between Soweto and West Rand. “The unit was mostly white dominant and African members felt victimised. They asked me to join the unit. I worked there as a disciplinary official until the end of July 1997.”

Rising through the ranks, in August 1997 he then moved to Management Services in the Soweto area as the area coordinator of the service delivery improvement programme.

It was in January 1998 that he moved to Provincial Management Services in Gauteng where he coordinated projects for north-east Johannesburg and in July the same year he was promoted to a rank of an inspector.

He continued to climb the ladder within the force and in October 2000, he was promoted to the rank of a Captain and moved to Strategic Planning and Facilitation, as the provincial facilitator.

“In October 2001, I was appointed to the rank of Deputy Director (Senior Superintendent) and became the Section Head: Strategic Management,” he said.

As a result of the strengthening police station programme, Colonel Xaba moved to Kagiso Police Station in 2006. “I was ordered to stabilise the situation after one officer shot and killed his fellow officers at the station.”

He worked at the same station as the section head towards the end of 2009 until January in 2011 when he was appointed as an acting station commander.

“The station was like a well-oiled machine when I left,” he recalled.

Although working at Kagiso is one of the main highlights of his career, it was in March 2015 that he was redeployed to the Douglasdale Police Station as the section head for support services. “I was asked to normalise the situation after the labour conflict where 43 members, mostly detectives, were expelled from the service.

“We were able to fill in those vacancies and some of the members came back.”

As a result of a riotous situation wherein the minister of police was called to address the community, Colonel Xaba was appointed as the Yeoville Police Station Commander in July this year. “I always appreciate the manner and mood in which police members and community receive me each time I am redeployed to a station. This makes life easier for me and results in the mission being accomplished.”

Details: Yeoville Police Station 011 481 0300.