“Now I’m going home … and will play a part in bettering my home.”
These were the words of Nyanga SAPS station commander Brigadier Vuyisile Ncatha at a farewell held for him over the weekend.
It was a bitter sweet occasion for the Nyanga community. While they’re proud that their station commander has been promoted, they have mixed emotions about losing him.
Brigadier Ncatha, described as a “community policing champion” has been promoted to Major General and will leave Nyanga police station at the end of the month to take up a post as district commissioner in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
Last Saturday, residents, station commanders, high ranking officers and community leaders gathered at Linge Primary School to bid him farewell.
The residents praised Brigadier Ncatha for relieving Nyanga of its notorious reputation as the country’s murder capital and helping to “restore dignity” to the area.
Brigadier Ncatha said he was happy to have been promoted and excited at the prospect of being able to contribute not only to one station but many stations as a district commissioner. It was every cop’s dream, he added, to become a general and to be able to implement their strategy of fighting crime on a bigger scale.
Brigadier Ncatha has been at Nyanga SAPS for eight years, before which he had been stationed at Langa police station.
In spite of the massive challenges he knew existed at Nyanga SAPS and in the community, he said, he embraced the opportunity to work there. And when he detailed his plan and vision for the station at the time it seemed like mission impossible, particularly because others before him had failed.
However, through dedication and commitment, results started showing and for the first time in years, Nyanga showed glimpses of hope.
“I had to instil discipline in my police officers and make them understand that they have one of the biggest responsibilities and need to act with care while they are firm in implementing law. I had to make sure that there is a friendly relationship between myself and the community.
“In many cases I attended lunch dates because I wanted to blend in with the community. But I also had to make sure that I fully support the community policing forum so that they could do their part fully,” he said.
“I cherished the years I have spent with the people of Nyanga and they have helped me become a better cop and person. But I’m going home and I will now play a role in bettering my home.”
Nyanga cluster commander Major General Thembeka Dyantyi, described Brigadier Ncatha as an outstanding and effective cop who promoted community policing effortlessly.
He also praised Brigadier Ncatha for rewriting the history of Nyanga police station and ensuring that its murder stats declined significantly.
He urged the community to give Brigadier Ncatha’s successor their support – and a chance to implement new strategies at the station.
Nyanga CPF chairperson Martin Makasi said Brigadier Ncatha would be sorely missed as they had worked closely with him. He said they would plan together and that that spirit of unity and togetherness had paid off.
