Metro police’s latest additions
The Tshwane metro police welcomes a host of new officers onto the force. They have sworn to serve and protect the City of Tshwane.
New Tshwane metro police graduates are ready to take up their posts on the streets of Tshwane since their graduation ceremony on Friday at Pilditch stadium.
Friends and family came to witness their loved ones being acknowledged for completing the 16-month long course, and pledging under oath to do their work diligently.
During the ceremony, guest speakers gave the officers strict instructions never to take bribes and to wear their uniforms with pride.
“Today 467 graduates are ready to serve and protect. You young men and women are ready for immediate deployment in the various wards to help tackle crime at the community level, to secure the capital city,” the executive mayor, Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, said during his keynote address.
The mayor and other members of the council inspected the parade and congratulated the new employees of the Tshwane metro police for the hard work that got them this far.
Chief of the metro police, Steven Ngobeni, told Rekord that he is happy and satisfied with the graduates. “We initially had 500 students, but some failed along the way, so these 467 students truly deserve their jobs. One thousand students will soon start training at the college. By 2015 we hope to have 3 500 metro police officers,” metro police spokesperson, Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, said.
He added that their aim is to have a ward-based strategy, where 10 members will be available for each ward in Tshwane. The graduates too expressed their happiness. “I am so excited, it was a tough and long 15 months. The feeling is overwhelming,” Darius Thomas stated.
Akhona Mkosi and a few other graduates received awards for their hard work. Mkosi was awarded for being the best marksman. “I am excited about today. It shows that all my hard work has finally paid off. There were times when I wanted to quit, but I told myself to work harder, to use every last breath in my body. I cannot describe the feeling.”
Mkosi and Thomas both agreed that they would not have made it this far if not for the help of their mentors.
Tshwane can look forward to better policing as these new officers of the law take to the streets to make our city safer.
