"The law is my passion. I know it like the back of my hand…” Lobisi Motaung leans forward and gently smiles as he hands me yet another certificate.
The Unisa degree states quite clearly: this Station Commander of Yeoville is a qualified lawyer. B Proc, completed 2003. “And a year of articles followed.” He chuckles softly at my surprise.
It’s Saturday night and the two of us huddle in his tiny office at the Yeoville Police Station. He’s just deployed the men under his command. “Saturday nights they patrol the streets from seven until three in the morning: that’s the time the criminals strike. I know, I study the statistics for our area.”
And study this 41-year-old can: apart from the Unisa degree, he did the Law Society of South Africa’s attorney admission exam; through the University of Pretoria’s faculty of Economics and Management services he completed a programme in Police Station management; his articles came through Potchefstroom University’s Melville campus; there’s a diploma as “achiever of the highest level of competence” for yet another management course at Wits University – “and a month ago I enrolled for Wits’ advanced English course.”
But he is fluent in six languages, including English and Afrikaans? “Call it my self-development. I have a thirst for knowledge. I keep abreast of all changes in South Africa’s laws, although I will never practise law. Yes, I can run my own law practice and make lots of money, but then my skills will be lost to the Police.”
He jumps up and pulls a press clipping off his notice board. “Let me prove the point.” The picture shows him amongst hundreds of illegal beer bottles he confiscated. “The street value was R33 000 and I charged the owner of the shebeen under Section 167 (C) of the Liquor Act. The junior prosecutor tried to convince me it was an unconstitutional act. I knew it wasn’t – and the senior prosecutor agreed with me. We had a conviction. One less criminal on the street.”
This Southern Sotho passionately fights crime and doesn’t care for politics. “As a child I already knew I wanted to play an active role in the prevention of crime. I grew up in Thabanatsoana, a small village in Qwa-Qwa and was not familiar with politics. It was a rural area; I spent my childhood on the farm where my father worked. Politics was just never important.”
But justice was: when he took over as senior superintendent at Yeoville in April 2005 it was a station beleaguered with problems. “It was the worst station in Johannesburg. I came from Sophiatown and my brief was clear: root out the corruption at Yeoville.” And that he did with a vengeance. Five officers were dismissed immediately and several other cases are still pending. None of the officers under investigation is still working at Yeoville. “It was hard, but now, a year later, I can proudly say that I have the respect of the men working under me. My message to them is clear: I will not tolerate any corruption.”
And he brought serious crime down. “It dropped within a month of me taking over and is still steadily coming down. I have the figures to prove it.”
Not that this gentle giant ever brags. “Giant? I’m only 1,8 m.” He smiles shyly. “We must all fight crime pro-actively. Don’t arrest the criminals after the fact. Stop them before they can do any damage.” For this he relies heavily on the surrounding communities. “I attend meetings, meetings, meetings. I talk to schools and even have good meetings with the Zimbabweans, Nigerians and Congolese in Yeoville – to name but a few communities. Yes, most are illegal immigrants, but they feel just as strongly about rooting out the criminals amongst them. I even involve Home Affairs in these meetings to address those communities’ problems.”
That Motaung is doing a good job is evident: his station is one of the very few that was not affected by the recent reshuffle of the Police Services when senior personnel were deployed as “overseers” of station commanders. “My hand was strengthened by several senior people working under me rather.”
And it is only getting better. “In 2008 we will have a brand new station, built in the park behind the existing offices.” No more cramped premises. “The new police station will have ample parking, bigger and more offices, holding cells – and the biggest bonus for me: the detective branch, which is now operating from a house in Acorn Avenue in Observatory, will be back under my wing.
1986: Joins the Police in Standerton as a constable.
1987: Moves to Warden in the Eastern Free State. “The best two years of training. The stations were small and you had to do absolutely everything: from taking statements, to detective work.”
1988: Becomes sergeant at Jeppe Police station. “I moved to Jeppestown then and still live there.”
1990: Is promoted to Warrant Officer.
1992: Becomes a Lieutenant. Completes his National Diploma in Police Administration through SA Technikon.
1993: Completes a Candidate Officer’s Course and 3 months training in Paarl, Cape.
1995: Becomes a Captain and completes a Field Training Supervisors’ Course in Graaff-Reinet, Cape. Lectures part-time at the Technikon in Johannesburg.
2000: Joins Sophiatown Police station as Superintendent.
2001: Completes a Programme in Police Station management through Pretoria University.
2003: Completes his B Proc degree through Unisa.
2004: Passes the Law Society of South Africa’s attorney admission exam.
2005: Promoted to Senior Superintendent and takes over the Yeoville Police station.
