Sandringham Warrant Officer followed her uncle’s footsteps
Warrant officer Queen Manenje holds a Btech degree in policing and aims to study towards an LLB degree which specialises in Human Rights.
Sandringham Police Station‘s Warrant Officer Queen Manenje reflects on the extreme lows and highs of her 20 years of service in the police force.
Manenje said besides being inspired by an uncle who is a former policeman, she was passionate about helping people.
“I have always wanted to protect and help people in our communities and make a difference in people’s lives by helping them make better choices. The other reason is that my uncle was a policeman when I was growing up and what stood out for me was his discipline and how smart he looked in his uniform.”
She shared a few experiences which remained close to her heart.
“My highlights include when I was deployed to Unamid (United Nation African Mission in Durfur) as a police advisor for a peacekeeping mission and when I graduated with my BTech degree in policing.”
Manenje explained that as much as she was passionate about her career, there were some sad moments.
“What I don’t particularly like about my job is when my colleagues are killed while on duty. An example is my friend and colleague, Sergent Sharon Nonjabulo Mogale, who was killed last year August when she was buying food in Tembisa. The killers didn’t even think of her family or children before shooting her dead.”
She noted that although her career came with dangers, she had ways of staying motivated.
“I believe God chose me to follow this career path, helping victims and going the extra mile to assist victims or complaints – it gives me a kick. What also motivates me is that the people I help are very kind. I sometimes receive letters from them thanking me for assisting them which always puts a smile on my face and encourages me to put my best foot forward for new cases.”
Manenje noted and praised the training process of new SAPS members who have been deployed to different police stations over the years.
“The training process has improved. The new trainees are trained for a full year and attend field training and in-service training courses which include workshops for topics such as domestic violence and sexual offences.
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Manenje’s advice for upcoming policemen and women:
- Work with honesty, integrity and honour.
- You must be passionate and dedicated to help and serve people.
- More women must join policing for gender-equality purposes, because most crimes are related to GBV and require women’s sensitivity.
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