Warrant Officer Vumelani Ngcobo (60) is hanging up his blue uniform after four decades of dedicated service to the South African Police Service (SAPS), ending a career that began in the final years of the old policing regime.

Coming from a family of police officers, Ngcobo followed in the footsteps of his uncle, a detective in Thembisa, and graduated from the Maleoskop Police Academy in Groblersdal, Limpopo, in 1986.

He was recruited as a constable in Ladysmith before arriving in Secunda in 1988.

“Those years the police station was where the clinic is now. The current station hadn’t been built yet,” said Ngcobo.

He remembers policing under very different circumstances.

“I began my service under the old regime. It was tough. We weren’t allowed to use firearms and were equipped with batons and shamboks,” he said.

Police vehicles were yellow vans, but junior constables were not permitted to drive them.

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“We had to use bicycles or ride on horseback. My duties included foot patrols and crime prevention.”

Ngcobo also witnessed the segregation that existed within the police service at the time.

“Back in the day, where the station is now, there was an area for white officers and an area for black officers,” said Ngcobo.

Early in his career, he was deployed to Vryburg in the Northern Cape for border duties and later guarded railway lines and trains in what was then known as the Transvaal.

In 1990, he was transferred to Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal during the violent conflict between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

“It was havoc. I worked there for close to a year. There was a lot of fighting and houses being burnt down,” said Ngcobo.

He again served on border duties in Komatipoort before another deployment to Bloemfontein.

“We were moved for certain periods. It was a lot of back and forth,” said Ngcobo.

Ngcobo eventually settled permanently in Secunda in 1993, buying a home in eMbalenhle before later moving to Evander, where he still lives today.

Over the years, he served in several divisions of SAPS, including the Community Service Centre (CSC), crime prevention, sector policing and as a sector commander. He also spent 15 years attached to the courts and has served as a relief commander since 2010.

“The passion is what drove me all these years. As a sector commander, I was favoured because I worked closely with the community,” he said.

His work saw him build strong relationships with residents, local businesses, sector policing forums and municipal law enforcement in the fight against crime.

Reflecting on his career, Ngcobo said many of the officers who started alongside him have either retired or passed away.

“I have reached the cutoff and served to the best of my abilities. It’s the end of a journey,” he said.

As retirement begins, Ngcobo looks forward to building a home in his hometown of Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, where he plans to enjoy a quieter life with his wife, Nokuthula Princess, who still has about 10 years or so before her own retirement.

He has three sons, one daughter and three grandchildren.

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