Acting National Commissioner Lt General Phahlane,
Deputy National Commissioners,
Senior SAPS Management,
Our sponsors: Altech Netstar,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening.
It was on the 6th of January this year, in the streets of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape that a single mother working at a Pharmacy went deep into sleep as would be expected of any other hardworking South African after long hours of work. At the break of dawn, at 3am to be, her peaceful sleep was interrupted by a loud ringing of her phone.
It was the police. She was surprised to be informed that her home, in which she slept that night, had been burgled and her property had been stolen during midnight. She however was equally delighted to discover that while conducting their night patrols, the SAPS had incarcerated the criminals and recovered all her hard-earned property; all this, ladies and gentlemen, happening while she was deep in sleep.
There are innumerable numbers of such breath-taking but inspiring stories. Stories of men and women putting the safety of our citizens first. Stories of men and women who have heeded to the national call of duty, patriots of this beautiful land ours, who sacrifice their families and their sleep, who stand gallant before the face of danger.
It is stories such as these, of our men and women who go beyond the call of duty, that we are gathered here to celebrate today. Indeed, we honour and salute the excellence of some of our colleagues, comrades and compatriots who continue to demonstrate excellent policing skills in serving of the people of South Africa; police officers who work tirelessly and diligently to create better communities by bravely fighting the ugly scourge of crime which continue to ravage our society.
Ladies and gentleman, the excellence espoused today, portrayed someamong our colleagues whom we celebrate today, has foundations entrenched in Constitutional imperatives, national legislative prescripts and indeed the manifesto of the African National Congress. For instance, the preamble of the South African Police Service Act of 1995 states that:
“There is a need to provide a police service throughout the national territory to a) ensure the safety and security of all persons and property in the national territory; b) uphold and safeguard the fundamental rights of every person as guaranteed by Chapter 3 of the Constitution; c) ensure co-operation between the Service and the communities it serves in the combatting of crime; d) reflect respect for victims of crime and understanding their needs; and e) ensure the effective civilian supervision over the Service.
Outcome 3 of our Strategic objectives gives the SAPS a more onerous task that is; to ensure that all people in South Africa “are and feel safe”.
It is a task we have an obligation to execute to the best of our abilities. It is a task some of our colleagues who sit with us in this venue today have tackled with both hands, breaking the boundaries of policing and service. It is indeed through the efforts of these men and women that from 2009 to 2014, the levels of crime had been reduced by 4.3%, with contact crimes having been reduced by 8.3%, contact related crimes by 9.6% and other serious crimes by 4.2%.
In the same period a lot of work to be done in combating crime, I am proud to mention that the rate of increase in all crimes has continued to decrease in the past five years. It is for these reasons that we salute all officers who go out of their way to ensure that the SAPS indeed contributes to a safe and secure environment for all people in South Africa.
Allow me at this stage, to initially thank the families of nominees of the National Excellence Awards. Family time and even family safety is often the first casualty when our officers dedicate themselves to this noble cause. To serve humanity.
More so, I commend and praise the colleagues of nominees. It is through their support that others shine. I am ever dumbfounded as I marvel at the team effort and high spirits that the SAPS team members demonstrate, indeed proving that “together we can do more”. I urge therefore that we celebrate the acknowledgment of nominees as a collective achievement with the sole purpose of strengthening the team. Be proud of a colleague’s achievement and be inspired knowing that you may be amongst future nominees and winners. In fact, you already are winners.
To those who are being crowned as the winners, it is a great pleasure to be here and bask in your light knowing that we will draw courage from the accolades that will be bestowed upon you. I know I speak for many when I say the Minister of Police and the entire management draws strength from the total commitment shown by the troops in the field. We are inspired because you have made our jobs easy, in managing and ensuring that this complex department works effectively and efficiently. The leaders have become the led and it is an honour to have people of this caliber in our midst.
You, members of the service, have certainly taken the baton stick from our heroes. You have received the relay stick from the likes of Chris Hani. A man who trained and drove the Lusaka detachment of Umkhonto weSizwe from Lusaka in Zambia, through Sipholelo via to Wankie in Zimbabwe, conquering colonialist forces along the way in several battles until they reached Botswana. It did not matter to Christ Hani and the rest of the soldiers that they were on foot all the way.
It did not matter that they had steeply limited resources and little or no support from the governments where they passed, that they hardly slept or eaten anything, that the weather was sometimes scorching hot or freezing cold. What mattered to them, is that they had to win the battles and conquer apartheid and oppression. What mattered is that they be in service of their people. What really mattered was the finishing line.
Our comrades, friends, relatives and colleagues who are the nominees of these awards today, have hastened to take up the call and follow directly in the footprints of the likes of Maqoma Hinsta and many others who went beyond the call of duty for this wonderful country.
Besides engaging in the daily active police duties of investigation, detection and general law enforcement, I am aware that many of you as officers have gone even further to participate in other miscellaneous activities in communities, seeking to educate communities, gathering invaluable information on community views on crime and even going as far as personally addressing some of the root causes of crime such as poverty.
Ladies and gentlemen, such is the patriotism that we encourage and celebrate. The Ministry of Police will continue to support such initiatives which seek to engage the community in the process of reducing crime. In fact, today, it would be a grave mistake to forget to thank community members who take a firm stand against crime and support our police officers in their duties. Sithi siyabonga bantu bakithi.
It is not amazing but quite touching therefore, ladies and gentlemen, to see an ever rejuvenated passion and commitment by our police officers towards their duties regardless of the nature of the danger in the line of duty, it is this inspiration from you comrades that the rest of the team members, young and old, are acting by your example and striving for excellence in service.
The Ministry today recommits to providing all the support possible and necessary to our officers in their service to this nation. We commit ourselves to providing the best resources and developing the most effective strategies in the fight against crime. It is for this reason that we have begun investigating and looking into a possible investment into how we can best utilize the latest technology in the fight against crime, particularly in enhancing the National Crime Detection Frameworks.
This forms part of the Back to Basics approach to policing in the fight against crime which we have once again adopted and implementing thoroughly. We seek to ensure, in this regard, that our police officers conduct themselves in a distinctive, and disciplined manner. We wish to see an enhanced police visibility by increasing the number of police vehicles in uniform and inevitably more police patrols thus reducing the opportunities for the attempt of or successful commission of crimes.
Finally, the back to basics approach seeks to ensure the optimal utilization of the resources that we have so as to ensure that their use produces the intended results. The strategy is one which we are certain, working together, will reap more fruits in our pursuit of a crime-free society.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to know and announce that there are such men and women who have demonstrated that such strategies can and are working; police officers who have stood firm and upheld the fundamental principles of policing, preventing and detecting crime in exceptional, superb and intelligent methods. These police officers have indeed gone back to the basics and here they are, being recognised in utmost gratitude and awe by their communities, their colleagues, the SAPS management and indeed, the country at large.
Martin Luther King Junior’s much famous statement on dedication and excellence. He says:
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say ‘Here lives a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
You colleagues have donated the most valuable parts of your lives and swept the streets perfectly. You have painted the best paintings and written the best of poems. You have demonstrated extraordinary policing and indeed you are truly deserving of these awards. Congratulations and Well Done!
I thank you!
