| SAPS officially opens KaMhlushwa Police Station, celebrates National Police Day | |
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| Date Published | |
| 2019/01/24 | |
| Details | |
Media Statement from the Office of the Minister of Police Mbombela: Police Minister Mr Bheki Cele together with National Commissioner General Khehla Sitole officially opened the Kamhlushwa Police Station near Malelane in Mpumalanga in celebration of the National Police Day event. The celebrations began at the Mbombela Stadium where police officers from across the country participated in various sporting codes including running, rugby, chess and netball amongst others. Deputy Minister of Police Mr Bongani Mkongi said about the run: “We run against crime and will not hesitate to chase after criminals whenever the need arises”. The Minister, Deputy Minister and the National Commissioner also officiated at the official opening of the Kamhlushwa Police Station, which is about 120 kilometres outside Nelspruit. Minister Bheki Cele said the official opening of the police station will bolster the fight against crime in Kamhlushwa and its surrounding where people had to previously travel long distances to the nearest Tonga Police Station. Minister Cele said plans to open twelve more police stations are underway. “We want to arrive at a time in South Africa where we can say our people can now walk to their nearest police stations to access services,” he said. The state-of-the-art police station building project started in December 2015 and was completed towards the end of July 2017. This was made possible by Chief Shongwe who donated the land to the SAPS. The station serves some 58 603 people as per Statistics South Africa population figures of the area. The need for the police station in Kamhlushwa was informed by a study conducted by the SAPS management who determined that the crime in the community was very high. Thus, the station was built to bring crime under control. Following the official opening, the Minister and the National Commissioner made their way to the Kamhlushwa Stadium where they interacted with community members, encouraging them to work together with the police in the fight against crime. “For us to win the fight against crime, we need you as the community to work with us,” said National Commissioner General Khehla Sitole. The procession then proceeded to Mbombela Stadium where about 3000 police officers from across the country had gathered to mark the National Police Day. The day was approved by Cabinet in 2005 as an important day in the SAPS calendar. It serves to celebrate police men and women who sacrifice their own lives to protect all people in South Africa. General Sitole expressed his appreciation for the work done by police officials in the fight against crime. “This year, we are investing in our human capital and we have budgeted R82 million for promotions of our members. We are doing this to uplift staff morale,” he said. Minister Cele emphasised that the promotion of police officials is a step in the right direction to ensure police members are not tempted to participate in corrupt activities. Ends. Enquiries: Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo - 082 567 4153; Reneilwe Serero - 071 492 0073
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SAPoliceService
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