KwaDukuza traffic officer a force to be reckoned with
Makhanya switched careers to become a traffic officer five years ago and has not regretted it for a moment
Despite turning heads on the road with her good looks, KwaDukuza traffic officer Mandy Makhanya is not afraid to apply a firm hand when it comes to enforcing the law.
Having been a traffic officer for five years Makhanya is far from being a ‘softie’ and in her books, bribery is not to be tolerated.
“Bribery has not stopped and us women do not take that well. It upsets me when someone offers me money. It provokes me to give that vehicle a much closer inspection.”
With every job posing its own challenges, the sassy cop said she still found attending tragic car accidents traumatic as well as gender discrimination to be a continuing problem in her field.
“This is considered a police environment and men often think they can dominate the field.
“If I do the same thing as a man and I am good at it, why should I not be recognised for it?”
Being tough on crime does not mean the 37-year old mother of three from Stanger does not take pride in her appearance. She encourages women not to sacrifice their femininity to fit into a male dominated industry.
“Things are changing in the law enforcement industry and we now see many police and traffic officers putting on their makeup and taking pride in their appearance.
“It is important to look beautiful because it increases your confidence. But the way I look, whether I wear makeup or not, should not affect how I am treated on the road. At the end of the day, I am still a traffic officer and law enforcer.”
Makhanya switched careers to become a traffic officer five years ago and has not regretted it for a moment.
“I studied production management at the University of Johannesburg and later went on to complete my Btec degree in operation management.
“When I was retrenched I did not believe in being fussy so when I came across an advert in the local newspaper for a traffic officer, I jumped at the opportunity.”
She said the requirements at the time were a matric and a driver’s license.
“You needed to be under 35 because the municipality sends you to traffic college for a year. In my year, I was awarded the prize for best student and a floating trophy. Although I had lots of fun, I hated the punishments. We would sometimes be made to run or to do duck walks. Can you imagine me doing duck walks?”
Saying that her days are never the same, Makhanya loves having the opportunity to make a difference in KwaDukuza. “My focus is now on education and awareness campaigns and not so much on law enforcement.”
So while she misses the high-speed car chases after the baddies, she now thrives on the opportunities to educate people on traffic and safety issues, and hopefully prevent some unnecessary deaths on the road.
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