ORMONDE – Edcon, South Africa’s largest non-food retailer and the South African Police Service (SAPS) hosted the third annual Johannesburg Central Cluster Prestige Awards for 2014 on Wednesday September 10.
The awards are part of an expansive partnership between Edcon and the SAPS. Since the inception of the partnership with SAPS at a national level in 2011, Edcon has donated 42 mobile trailers across the country, that are used to serve the communities in which they are deployed by serving as police contact points for members of the public to report crimes and certify documents. The trailers also act as a deterrent to criminal activity and improve police visibility.
In addition, the retailer entered into a partnership with the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, where they donated six cameras in the Edgardale and Ormonde area. This partnership is part of their ongoing commitment to play an active and pivotal role in the fight against crime.
The Johannesburg Central Cluster Prestige Awards is a celebration of excellence for members of the SAPS in eight police stations in the Johannesburg Cluster, which are Booysens, Mondeor, Moffatview, Johannesburg Central, Sophiatown, Brixton, Langlaagte and Fairlands.
Warrant Officer PA Lethoba (Booysens) won the Operational Employee of the Year award for Visual Policing, while Warrant Officer E Msibi (JHB Central) won the Operational Employee of the Year for Detective Work.
Typist MM Msongelwa (Moffatview) won the Support Employee of the Year and Lt Col SR Mikhari (Booysens) won the Support Manager of the Year Award. The Best Reservist award went to M Koopman (Mondeor) and the Support Group of the Year went to Lt Col Naicker, (Sophiatown). The Detective group of the Year was won by Captain Verschuur from Johannesburg Central, while the acknowledgement award for all disabled employees went to T Zandberg from Mondeor Police Station.
The highlight of the evening was the awarding of the Cluster Commander’s Awards, which was bestowed on Warrant Officer E Msibi from Johannesburg Central.
In his welcome speech, Dr Urin Ferndale, Chief Operations Officer at Edcon, said the awards enable members of the police service in the Johannesburg Central Cluster to aspire to greater heights of service to their communities. Dr Ferndale added that helping the police service raise the bar has the benefit of helping combat crime and leading to safer communities. He emphasised Edcon’s commitment to working with the SAPS in realising the ideals of a crime-free and safe South Africa.
In closing, Dr Ferndale emphasised that, as a business, Edcon views crime as the responsibility of every South African and that the men and women in uniform need us as much as we need them.
The SAPS in partnership with the Edcon Group, Africa’s largest non-food retailer, hosted the SAPS Johannesburg cluster Prestige Awards at the Edcon Retail Academy in Ormonde South of the city on Friday July 19, 2013.
The Prestige Awards were introduced two years ago to celebrate excellence, hard work and dedication in the police services, and spur individuals to serve communities with distinction.
Mercia Maserumule, Group CSI Manager for the Edcon Group, says: “The company views crime prevention as the responsibility of every South African and not only the police service. Edcon has forged a relationship with SAPS to sponsor mobile police stations in areas where they are acutely needed to help increase police visibility and also create awareness. Thus far Edcon has donated 24 trailers to the SAPS that have been deployed to eight of the nine provinces.”
An additional 15 trailers will be donated in the latter part of 2013. To date Edcon has donated trailers to the value of R2.6 million.
Maserumule adds, “We are committed to playing a pivotal role in discouraging criminal activities and thereby making a meaningful difference towards the fight against crime, especially in the communities and business areas where crime is most often rampant.“
In addition, the retailer also has an Adopt-A Station programme whose efforts has ensured the upgrading of the Johannesburg Central Police Station’s Victim Empowerment Centre. The centre was redesigned and refurbished to accommodate the needs of victims of crime. Apart from the Gauteng Prestige Awards, Edcon also sponsors the Eastern Cape’s SAPS Star of the Year Awards.
Brigadier Neville Malila, spokesperson for the SAPS, said the Prestige Awards were introduced to institutionalise and cultivate a culture of positive behaviour, excellence and overall improvement in the South African Police Services.
“Apart from leveraging the awards to boost morale, the awards give effect to the achievement of the strategic objectives of the SAPS,” added Brigadier Malila.
The awards recognise excellence in areas such as:
• Arrest of the year
• Cluster Commander’s Award of the year
• VISPOL, Detective and support department of the year
• Operational, Detective and Support employees of the year
The SAPS Johannesburg cluster Prestige Awards recognise the efforts of police officers at Booysens, Sophiatown, Johannesburg Central, Brixton, Fairlands, and Moffatview police stations.
The Edcon partnership with SAPS national office was initiated in 2011 to support police visibility and presence in urban, as well as rural communities, where police stations are not prominent or cannot be easily accessed.
Further to the Trailer Project, Edcon’s Public Safety Public Security Programme includes initiatives such as Adopt-a-Station, which entails the revamping of the Victim Empowerment Centre and partnering the adopted station in other crime fighting initiatives.
”Edcon is committed to work in partnership with the SAPS to reduce crime and provide a safe country for all of us through its various crime prevention initiatives,” concluded Mercia Maserumule.
