There are still members in SAPS who will go the extra mile in ensuring that our citizens are and feel safe. This was seemingly clear when two of its own despite being off duty, came to the aid of an elderly gentleman on Sunday, 11 August 2023 on the N8 road between Griekwastad and Campbell.
An eighty year old elderly man from Griekwastad in the Northern Cape, was surprised and amazed when he was approached by two total strangers, in this case Colonel Kholakele Sontsi and his colleague, Constable Veronique Magerman both attached to the Public Order Policing unit, who came to his rescue when he had a flat tyre.
At approximately 17:30 on that day, Colonel Kholakele Sontsi and Constable Veronique Magerman were returning from a Women’s Month event, when they unexpectedly came upon an elderly man on the N8 road between Griekwastad and Campbell trying to change the flat tyre on his vehicle.
Being police officials and always ready to serve, the members made a u-turn and went to enquire if they could help. The gentleman, who was visibly shaken, eagerly accepted their offer to assist him. He explained to the officers that he was having a challenge to remove a cable tire that secured the wheel cap as he did not have a knife and Colonel Sontsi quickly assisted and unscrewed the wheel nuts.
“Those wheel nuts were so tightly screwed in and I don’t think that the old man would have succeeded to unscrew them himself. I was also having a challenge myself to remove them but I persevered and managed to unscrew them all and safely exchanged the wheel, said Colonel Sontsi.
When asked about the ordeal, Mr Charles Compaan had nothing but praises for the two members. “They were both neatly dressed but they did not worry about it as their only quest was to assist me. All that I am asking from the SAPS Managers is that they look after such members as it is no longer the norm to come across police officers of such a calibre in South Africa. I wish them well in their future.”