There were smiles and ululation from crowd at the passing-out parade of more than 300 JMPD trainees at Nasrec on Wednesday, 13 October 2021.
After the final march past dignitaries, who included the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Moerane, most of the 393 officers threw their caps in the air, cheered triumphantly and lifted their hands in the air out of excitement.
The trainees are now qualified JMPD officers who will contribute towards making Johannesburg safer.
One of the officers, Tumelo Moruku (25) could not contain her excitement. She says she also threw her cap in the air and all her colleagues deserves the celebration. “The excitement was just too much. It’s been a long journey. It’s well deserved. We stayed in the lane of doing things right. It’s been a tough journey. We went through a lot.”
She’s now looking forward to immense growth.
For Levonne Jonas (26) a dream finally became a reality. He wanted to become a law enforcement officer since grade 10.
“The excitement and joy I have in my heart now is overwhelming. It took me seven years to get in to the department, so you can imagine how joyful and grateful I am. Because I have changed from many different careers. I’ve been working in banks and call centres. Nothing stuck with me. So I strongly believe this is my calling,” Jonas said.
Ruemmenigger Olivier (26) smiled widely after the parade. He is extremely happy that he made it through. “It was a tough journey for me but I made it through. Here I am today a full graduate in full uniform.”
His father is a police officer and his inspiration.
Executive Mayor Moerane congratulated the newly qualified officers. “We know that you’re officers who will contribute to service towards the dream of making Johannesburg a safer city to live, work and play. We cannot over emphasise the importance of having properly trained officers join our dedicated members.
“I wish to congratulate all graduates as newly qualified officers. I look forward to seeing you making our city a safer and livable metropolitan that we all wish to see and experience. May the grace of God be with you as you serve our great City and its residents.”
The qualified officers had to successfully complete a training programme consisting of two learning programmes (traffic orientated and police orientated). The traffic-orientated programme is an intense learning programme, which is presented over a period of 12 months. The second programme is presented over six months, bringing the total to 18 months.
Written by Brümilda Swartbooi
13/10/2021