Minister's keynote address National Service Excellence Awards 26 January 2017 Kwazulu-Natal – Police Day
Programme Director
The Deputy Minister of Police, Mr Mkongi
Honourable Members of Parliament, Legislature & Councillors
Honourable MECs present
National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Sitole
Deputy National Commissioners
Provincial, Divisional and Regional Commissioners
Senior management of the SAPS
SAPS members and personnel
Stakeholders
Event Sponsors
Nominees for National Excellence Awards
Invited Guests
Families and friends
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
It is with great pride and honour that I address you at this magnificent event, the SAPS’s Fifth National Excellence Awards2018. We host the National Excellence Awards annually to honour and give recognition to our men and women in blue and SAPS support personnel for their significant achievements of the preceding year.
The decision to celebrate Police Day was made by Cabinet to allow the South African Police Service to have a dedicated day set aside to reflect on the previous year, appreciate serving members as well as to pay homage to fallen heroes.
Last year we lost 39 of our brave men and one female officer while on duty. We need to continuously honour our fallen as heroes they all are.
Ladies and Gentlemen – allow me to recite an un-credited Police Officer’s Prayer which captures the virtue of this vocation; It reads…
“Lord, I ask for courage. Courage to face and conquer my own fears, Courage to go where others will not go. I ask for strength of body that I may protect others, Strength of spirit to lead others. I ask for dedication to my job, to do it so well to my community, to keep community safe, feeling safe. Give me Lord, concern for others who trust in me and compassion for those who need me and please, Lord through it all, please be by my side always.” End of Prayer.
As it is now customary in these events, I request all of us to rise for a moment of silence in rememberance and honour. May we please rise,……………Thank you
As part of our Police Day we shall be handing over a house to a child headed family, both parents passed away the mother in
2009 and father 2017. I thank the SAPS family and our sponsors for the generosity and ubuntu.
I wish to thank all those who supported and participated in the
Golf Day is a fundraising event which aimed to raise funds for the South African Police Service Education Trust (SAPSET).
The main objective of the SAPSET is funding of children of a member of the South African Police Service employed under the Police Act as well as the Public Service Act that passes on in the execution of official duties or on duty, by financing the costs of such child’s educational needs
It is befitting that we pay tribute in such a respectful manner as the successes we have, as SAPS need to be highlighted and made public for everyone to notice, as we are extremely proud of each and every accomplishment.
Police work is a calling and often times the work you do is hardly acknowledged, this too is part of the job.
The men and women we recognise tonight have gone beyond the call of duty and what which is expected of them to serve the community and to make a significant difference in the lives of their fellow human beings.
The teams and individuals represent the entire body of SAPS and the entire Ministry of Police. Those who get the recognition tonight, hold the flag on behalf of all of us. Their work is exemplary and courageous but goes unsung.
Police officers do not only provide policing services to our people but they are a beacon of light and hope when they walk the extra mile to ensure that our people are safe and protected. Our organisation consists of many extraordinary people and we appreciate their outstanding efforts and selflessness.
Police are the advertising agency or practitioners of any country. You are the first people foreign visitors interact with and the last people they all see on their way back home. Police are the essential ambassadors of how a nation sees itself. When police solicit bribes or as they call it itshotsho or the cooldrink – it means the general society and its moral fabric is broken and it is being broken by police themselves. It means we have systematically accepted to co-exist with crime.
There are many courageous and exemplary police officers in SAPS, not everyone could be accommodated tonight.
I want to make it very clear to all that the moment you were the uniform or carry your police certificate – you are already an excellent individual and I want all of you to be proud of what you do. From the general workers to a constable or general, I want to tell you that your country is proud of you and thank you for your service.
As we make the awards tonight, we are mindful that achieving excellence comes as a result of teamwork and we appreciate the efforts of every employee whether they receive an award or not. Policing is teamwork, it is group work, it also extends beyond us inside the organisation but also our communities, the CPFs and other stakeholders.
The broad objectives of the Excellence Awards are to identify and reward individuals, teams and stations that have demonstrated outstanding ability in the following:
- The employee’s achievement towards the strategic objectives of the Organisation linked to the Key Performance Areas of the employee in terms of quality, quantity, time and cost efficiency;
- The employee’s dedication to duty or the extent to which the employee goes the extra mile beyond the call of duty;
- The creativity, initiative, innovation and resourcefulness displayed by the employee to contribute positively towards service delivery;
- The employee’s impact/ value added to service delivery;
- The employee’s attributes - compliance to the Code of Conduct, discipline, professionalism and/ or any other extra-ordinary circumstance that are observed.
The numerous challenges and dangers which a police officer faces on a daily basis are well known and distinguish their job from any other. It is however the way in which our nominees of awards have successfully faced and overcame these challenges which separates them from those who conduct their business as usual.
We spend many hours at our places of work but if we strive every day to achieve excellence in what we do, our jobs become our passion and turns into a career, a calling.
On the 22nd December 2017 a total of 3499 new recruits also joined our ranks and started with their brand new police careers as they passed out countrywide after the successful completion of their Basic Police Development Learning Programme.
As they are now placed at designated police stations to undergo their one-year probation period, they will need seasoned and experienced mentors such as yourselves to mentor and guide them to become proud and professional police officials. Remember that they will follow your every move and that you will play a critical role in their development as a police official and human being.
At the Passing Out Parade, last December – I made mention of the need that we go all out to make policing attractive to young people from minority groups in South Africa.
We need balance so that communities are policed by persons who come from same communities as well. We must make an extra effort to have cadets from all of the racial demographics and more women.
I salute and congratulate all of SAPS as a BUNCH OF WINNERS.
Sincere congratulations are also extended to provincial nominees and winners.
Even if you did not step out as a winner in a specific category, remember that your presence here is an indication that you are the best of the best and that all your hard work and sterling efforts are appreciated.
Our collective excellence will even be more pronounced for our communities to appreciate if we close down the illegal shebeens, when we act fast on each report made by our communities, when brothels and drug dens are not tolerated. We must refuse to live side by side with crime.
We must be aggressive and outward in our intolerance of criminal behaviour. Our streets must be cleaned up of crime and suspected criminality.
You must deem it a failure to have a known drug den in our clusters or zone. We must make it our duty to know our community members and make visits to the elderly and those who just moved in at a house in the neighbourhood. May you never become tired or lower your standards. May you continue to lead with distinction and courage, to inspire your colleagues and these young members to raise the bar and to follow your sterling example so that they too can not only make the difference.
You have set the pace and have proven that it is possible to rise head and shoulders above your daily circumstances and achieve excellence in what you do. I also thank all the families for their continuous support.
Allow me to conclude by repeating our theme, that where crime and corruption is concerned and the protection of national security: We have no time to waste time. Let us refuse to co-exist with crime. Let us squeeze the space for criminals. Lets us be practical and win. You have your government’s full support.
I thank you.
