| [YOUTH MONTH] Meet Sergeant Jonker, the only female member currently enrolled in the SAPS Farrier Development Programme | |
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| Date Published: | 2025/06/26 |
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Media Statement EASTERN CAPE - In celebration of Youth Month 2025 under the theme: “Skills for the Changing World – Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation”, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has embarked on a series of profiles to highlight the work of its young men and women in blue who are ‘game changers’ in their respective environments. Today, we introduce the nation to 35-year-old Sergeant Vernadene Jonker who is attached to the Gqeberha Mounted Unit. In a profession steeped in history, Jonker is blazing new trails as the only female member currently enrolled in the SAPS Farrier Development Programme. Her journey began on 07 July 2009 when she joined the SAPS, starting with the basics in SAPS Academy, All Saints. With a remarkable 16 years of experience, Jonker worked in various SAPS environments, which include Kamesh Crime Prevention and Operational Command Centre in the then Uitenhage Cluster. Her unsurpassed love for animals led her to a new journey in the Gqeberha Mounted Unit, which started in 2019 with the Basic Mounted Policing Course, followed by the Stable Official Course in 2021. Since 2023, she has been training to become farrier, an elite and demanding craft involving the care and shoeing of SAPS operational horses. “This is not just a job. It is an act of courage, strength, and skilled precision. Every hoof she shapes, every spark from the forge, is a bold declaration: No dream is too heavy to carry. No fire too hot to handle”, Jonker asserts. Jonker is not only supporting equine operational readiness, but she is also shattering expectations and proving that women belong wherever excellence is required. In uniform and under pressure, she embodies the values of discipline, leadership, and service. Her presence in rural patrols, ceremonial events, and operational deployments is more than visible, it is inspirational. Jonker’s message to the youth, in particular every young girl: “Let my story be your signal. You can lead, you can serve, you can master any skill, you are strong, you are capable, you are next”. The SAPS celebrates Sergeant Vernadene Jonker not only for her craft, but for what she represents: possibility, resilience, and transformation. She reminds us that barriers are meant to be broken, and that true strength is measured not just in muscle or fire, but in commitment, integrity, and heart. Ends
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