Community safety department’s new chaplain ready to provide support

The Gauteng community safety department’s newly appointed chaplain Mapula Nkoe is not only happy over her appointment, but is also looking forward to hitting the ground running by providing spiritual support.

“I am very honoured and delighted to have accepted this appointment and look forward to using my experience and expertise to support this department. I hope my devotion will equally be rewarded,” she said.

The newly appointed 49-year-old chaplain was ordained as a pastor in 2015, at the Life of Faith Ministries Church in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni.

In her new role, Nkoe was expected to offer spiritual guidance to all of the department’s employees, organise departmental memorial services and preach during funeral proceedings. She would also join the community safety department’s officials to visit families of victims and survivors of gender-based violence to give feedback on the progress of their cases.

She would also be expected to visit different regions to offer support and prayer during trying times.

“As chaplain, I am not a certified counsellor, but I offer spiritual guidance through prayer to people who are depressed and going through life changes to give them hope,” Nkoe said.

“Gender-based violence has reached enormous proportions and has infiltrated various workplaces. I am acutely aware that we have victims of gender-based violence in our workplaces and I want every departmental staff member to be aware that I am here to offer prayers and support them without judging them,” she said.

While Nkoe, who grew up in the township of Orlando East in Soweto, was excited over her appointment and looking forward to fulfilling her duties, the road to get to where she was had not been smooth sailing.

“I was snubbed for a few job openings, but this did not deter me and despite missing out on such opportunities, I was unperturbed and my perseverance finally paid off recently, when I was bestowed an honour of being appointed the new chaplain in the department under the directorate for traffic management,” she said.

Nkoe’s personal life had also not been all smooth sailing following the unceremonious passing of her husband 13 years ago and that of her mother, due to cancer, in 2020.

She joined the department in 2005 as a personal assistant to community police relations and civilian secretariat director, Thapelo Moduto. She was eventually appointed as a field worker within the community police relations in 2015, where she was said to have worked closely with CPF and community patrollers.

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