EDITOR – I would like to tell you a nice true story to encourage hope and trust in our troubled society.
In these times a lot of us tend to be in such a pessimistic state, thinking only bad can happen in government departments. This is not always the case.
I write this letter for two reasons, firstly, to commend someone who deserves a mention for their goodwill and secondly, to give credit to a department that is generally vilified.
Recently, I found myself in the hospital for quite a serious emergency problem.
On the day of surgery, I received a call from my son who told me Edenvale police were towing my car away.
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This problem was created when my stolen car was recovered in November 2016 and released to me.
There were some matters regarding the vehicle which had not been sorted during the initial release.
I underwent surgery and booked myself out of the hospital the following day.
I discovered, at Edenvale Police Station, the vehicle was transferred to the Benoni Police Pound.
I thought the clearance certificate I was given from Lenasia SAPS was sufficient to recover the vehicle but this was not the case.
There are identification marks on the vehicle which must be verified and the recovery recorded on the police computers which had not been done.
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I could hardly walk when I arrived at Benoni Pound. I was putting my health under serious risk even being there.
There are four blocks dealing with different aspects of the investigation and I had no clue where to start.
After queuing for two hours I was told to follow the necessary procedure.
A police detective saw me struggling to walk and could see I was in distress.
He came over to me and asked if he could help me in any way. This was my third visit so I told him my dilemma.
He took me straight to the correct office, got out the file, contacted the investigating officer and got him to come from Benoni Police Station to help me.
On my next visit, Det Const Bambo Peiri Samie collected the file from Lenasia Pound, examined it and worked out what needed to be done for me to get my car back.
We travelled from the pound to the police station on two occasions but could not find the identification marks Lenasia pound put on the vehicle.
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Using other methods the police were able to identify the vehicle, got it posted on the police computer and fast-tracked me through the release process.
Bambo and a fellow officer went the extra mile and drove my car back to my home
They never asked for anything and just treated me so well.
The goodwill from the officers was so heartwarmingly evident I want to shout it from the rooftops.
It took an extra trip with my car to Lenasia Pound to find the original ID marks.
Bambo came to my house, drove my car with me to Lenasia and back. In the car, we had a great chat about our lives on the journey.
In conclusion, there are good people out there, black and white, that go the extra mile under very trying circumstances and for very little reward.
I think it is time, most importantly me, to start looking at the positives about people and not carry the burden of negativity.
I am sure, without the help of the unnamed police officers and especially Bambo, my car would still be in the pound.
Thank you, Bambo and Benoni police for helping me when I most needed it.
Chris Jago.
