Seeing a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer on the road may bring to mind a uniform, a badge and a traffic stop, but female officers are proving they offer much more.

The officers used their women’s month awareness march, on August 28, to challenge perceptions that metropolitan police officers are uneducated.

“I am emotional because when we started this march, it was just an idea and today we’re seeing it happening,” said JMPD director of operations Angie Mokasi.

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She said one of the reasons officers wanted to highlight their qualifications was because of the stereotypes they regularly encounter. “Every time, we are regarded as uneducated people, as metropolitan officers.”

She recalled how motorists sometimes dismiss officers by telling them that they only have a matric certificate and a driver’s licence. “We’re showcasing, as the women in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, that we take education very seriously and it will impact positively on service delivery within the City of Johannesburg.”

Mokasi is also leading by example. She already holds a master’s degree and is currently studying towards a second master’s degree.

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For officer Ntombifikile Sihlali, the march was about making people see the women behind the uniform. “We wanted other women to notice us, to know that behind the uniform, we are mothers, we are sisters, we are children, but we’re also able to thrive.”

Sihlali said being a woman in law enforcement often means balancing job demands with home responsibilities. “We’re also able to do the job that men do and then go back home and still do our duties as women, as wives, as mothers.”

She also addressed another misconception, that joining JMPD ends an officer’s educational journey. “There are people who came into the department with degrees and honours, while others acquired those qualifications while working.”

Sihlali is one of those officers continuing to build her qualifications. She is currently studying public relations, having previously studied the same field at Boston Media House. She initially stopped her studies after joining JMPD because she needed to pursue an employment opportunity. However, she later returned to her studies. Today, she wears her educational achievement alongside her uniform, seeing it as part of the message the officers were trying to send. “I think people are not aware. They don’t know. They’re speaking from their own perspective. We’re here to show them that there are other perspectives.”

The march was also a reminder for Sihlali that women within the department have people who inspire them. “Our director is always encouraging us to study. She’s always encouraged us to go the extra mile. Don’t only do what is required of you. If you can help, give a helping hand, then you must do it.”

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