It is seldom that we celebrate good police officers that go beyond the call of duty to serve and protect society through their diligent work.
In fact, we often read about cops involved in acts of corruption, accused of acting outside the ambit of the law and those whose ill discipline bring the badge into disrepute. While these are all true, the reality is also that they are a minority among good cops.
Like any profession, our law enforcement is not free of societal ills like crime and those motivated by wrongful acts.
This narrative, however, may be about to change if the two stories we published this week about police officers worthy of celebrating is anything to go by. On Wednesday we told a story of Lt-Col Tume Ramahlaha whose act of kindness brought good fortune to boy scavenging for food in dustbins and missing out on schooling – on his 8th birthday.
Ramahlaha, who is based in Pretoria but is deployed to the Free State to combat illicit mining activities,was so touched by the boy’s situation while in Ladybrand that he organised meals for the boy and his family. His colleagues joined him to throw a surprise birthday party fo him.
They also bought him a school uniform, shoes, new clothes and took him for a haircut before he was sent back to school. Ramahlaha told us he had been informed the boy wished to be a traffic officer when he grows up.
Such is the kind of inspiration that we often miss in our storytelling. Today we’re again telling another story of a good cop whose dedication brought a happy ending to a rather terrible tale. Sgt Glenda Mathebula of the family violence and child protection unit in Tzaneen, Limpopo, was recognised by National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza for dedication to her work.
Mathebula’s tenacity in investigating crime secured the conviction and sentencing to a life term of a man who raped his 11-year-old niece. This was not Mathebula’s only successful case. She previously worked tirelessly to put away criminals terrorising communities. But perhaps having the National Assembly recognise her work was the highest honour and well deserved.
We offer our most sincere gratitude to Ramahlaha and Mathebula for their inspiration. Our country needs more cops like these.
SOWETAN SAYS | Good cops deserve our applause
Image: SUPPLIED
It is seldom that we celebrate good police officers that go beyond the call of duty to serve and protect society through their diligent work.
In fact, we often read about cops involved in acts of corruption, accused of acting outside the ambit of the law and those whose ill discipline bring the badge into disrepute. While these are all true, the reality is also that they are a minority among good cops.
Like any profession, our law enforcement is not free of societal ills like crime and those motivated by wrongful acts.
This narrative, however, may be about to change if the two stories we published this week about police officers worthy of celebrating is anything to go by. On Wednesday we told a story of Lt-Col Tume Ramahlaha whose act of kindness brought good fortune to boy scavenging for food in dustbins and missing out on schooling – on his 8th birthday.
Ramahlaha, who is based in Pretoria but is deployed to the Free State to combat illicit mining activities,was so touched by the boy’s situation while in Ladybrand that he organised meals for the boy and his family. His colleagues joined him to throw a surprise birthday party fo him.
They also bought him a school uniform, shoes, new clothes and took him for a haircut before he was sent back to school. Ramahlaha told us he had been informed the boy wished to be a traffic officer when he grows up.
Such is the kind of inspiration that we often miss in our storytelling. Today we’re again telling another story of a good cop whose dedication brought a happy ending to a rather terrible tale. Sgt Glenda Mathebula of the family violence and child protection unit in Tzaneen, Limpopo, was recognised by National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza for dedication to her work.
Mathebula’s tenacity in investigating crime secured the conviction and sentencing to a life term of a man who raped his 11-year-old niece. This was not Mathebula’s only successful case. She previously worked tirelessly to put away criminals terrorising communities. But perhaps having the National Assembly recognise her work was the highest honour and well deserved.
We offer our most sincere gratitude to Ramahlaha and Mathebula for their inspiration. Our country needs more cops like these.
'Every GBV case leaves a mark on me'
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