SEBOKENG – He always wanted to be a police officer as a way to fight the scourge of crime in Mzansi and serve his community.
Joining the force during the apartheid era, Brigadier Selikoe Mokoena moved between ranks for the entire 39 years and nine months leading different units.
From a constable in Sharpeville after college, a commander for the detectives in different precincts including Evaton, Vanderbijlpark, and Vosloorus, to ending his career as a station commander of Sebokeng police station, he dedicated his life to the job.
Coming from the rural township of Bethlehem in the Free State, Mokoena worked his way to the top as one of Vaal’s overperforming police managers.
Neatly outfitted in his official uniform with four medals to his left chest, he sat comfortably during an hour-long interview reflecting on his professional journey.
“My story starts when I was still a young boy, I always knew I wanted to be a police officer. Before joining SAPS, I worked at a power station which I left in 1983 when officially joined the force after completing college. I was first assigned at Sharpeville until I was transferred to Randfontein in 1985,” he said.
“After 1992, I was transferred to Evaton precinct as a relief officer. While serving the Evaton community, I got an opportunity to join Sebokeng officers as a Detective. The same year I was moved to Vanderbijlpark, investigating police-related dockets,” he added.
Reminiscing on his journey, the soft-spoken 60-year-old told Ster he kept climbing the corporate ladder.
Fast track to his rank as a brigadier and holding a position of a station commander, Mokoena said he was appointed in 2016 till date.
With a clout on his face, Mokoena shared one of his most memorable moments as an officer when they [together with his colleagues] foiled the biggest bank robbery of all time in Johannesburg.
“We cracked a bank robbery in Simmonds Street and the majority of the suspects we apprehended on the day, were served to live. Without any doubt, that was the biggest highlight of my career,” he said.
Jumping to his achievements, Mokoena said he still lives in his moment when he raised the station’s performance in Vanderbijlpark.
“One of my proudest moments was when I improved the performance of the detective’s unit after spending fourteen years. I found the component at a one-star rating and left it at four stars,” he added.
With all his efforts and the people’s skills Mokoena applied as a practice, he said he will sleep peacefully at night knowing that he leaves Sebokeng rated number ten in the province about efficiency when it comes to assisting people.
