City commends heroics of Safety and Security Directorate staff

28 July 2017

The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate today honoured 148 staff members at its mid-year commendations ceremony.

The staff members, from the Public Emergency Communication Centre, Disaster Risk Management Centre, Fire and Rescue Service, Metro Police Department, Traffic Service and Law Enforcement Department, all received commendation badges for outstanding work, service excellence, and bravery.

Among those to receive their commendation badges were:

The Fire and Rescue Service staff who responded to the Knysna fires in June
Firefighter Lorenzo Johannes who saved an injured colleague from a burning house after the ceiling collapsed on them
Traffic officer Nolusindiso Piyose who, with the help of her colleagues in the Integrated Rapid Transit Unit, worked tirelessly for three months to track down a child runaway and reunite him with his father in Johannesburg
Traffic officer Kevin Baker who, among his many operational successes, was also responsible for arresting a taxi driver who had 32 passengers in a 14-seater vehicle in June
Metro Police officers Jeremy Myburg and Ryno van Zyl who confiscated nearly 300 kg of dagga in Khayelitsha after a tip-off from an informant
The Metro Police Animal Unit (K9 and Equestrian), responsible for 317 arrests, the confiscation of 15 firearms and 229 rounds of ammunition, and 127 social interventions in the last 12 months, including horse and dog shows, school searches, and sweeps
Law Enforcement officers Akhona Siyeka and Musa Mgqoboka who saved a motorist trapped in her vehicle after a collision before it caught fire
The Law Enforcement anti-dumping team who have been central to the 99 vehicle impoundments since an amendment to the Integrated Waste Management By-law in August 2016
The Disaster Risk Management team who coordinated the humanitarian relief and provided logistical support in the wake of the Imizamo Yethu fire in March
Aldelah Petersen from the Strategic and Operational Support Unit for outstanding academic achievement

‘It is yet another very proud day for the Safety and Security Directorate. These staff members are following in the footsteps of hundreds who have gone before them. There are so many acts of bravery and selflessness that happen on a daily basis within the ranks and it is testament to the calibre of person in the uniform, but also others who are behind the scenes working on the logistics without which this Directorate would not function.

‘I thank all of our staff who have received their commendations, as well as the thousands of others who serve with distinction every day. They embody the customer-centric principles of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.

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