- Brigadier Sanele Zama is retiring after 38 years of service in the South African Police Service.
- Raised in KwaZulu Natal, Zama faced numerous challenges throughout his career, including discrimination and the complexities of policing during apartheid and gang conflicts.
- As he retires, Zama reflects on his long career and looks forward to returning to his home province.
For Brig Sanele Zama, retirement will see him return to his home province for the first time in more than 30 years.
Having been encouraged to join public service by his grandmother who was a teacher, his first attempt at joining the police in 1983 was discouraged by the ongoing riots of the time.
Studying and qualifying with an NQF 4 in Engineering after also completing his matric with exemptions, at the height of apartheid he was either too qualified or competing with his white counterparts for minimal jobs.
Growing up in KwaZulu Natal, he was raised by his grandmother while his mother worked as a domestic worker.
“With the riots in 1983, I saw my friends dying as a result and decided I needed to leave the location,” he says.
Changes
Life took a tough turn for Zama who worked in hospitality earning R160 per month.
In 1986, Zama still had an interest in policing and decided to try and enroll again. Put through the ringer, his dream of making a difference was finally realised by joining the police college in Hammanskraal.
“Here they really taught us to be policemen. If I tell you it was tough, it was tough,” he says. “We then got our posts in December and this was the first time any of us saw the name Boland. None of us knew where that was.”
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Reporting to Paarl, Zama recalls his assignment to specifically service the black population of the Western Cape in the absence of other black officers.
“I was later sent to Strand as a constable. I remember not being able to work inside and we were called the K-word and coloureds were called the H-word for just being inside,” he says.
This spurred his involvement in POPCRU (The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union) in 1989.
But his career was fulfilled in being able to serve. He has served in detached duties in Soweto and on the borders of Swaziland and Mozambique before studying to complete his diploma in 1996.
He enjoyed several leadership positions such as Vispol head of Strand, where he received several rank promotions.
In 2004, he applied for a position in Kleinvlei, which he received, but never served due to being called to Table View Police Station as head of crime prevention.
In 2008, he served at Lwandle Police Station before moving to Macassar in 2010 as station commander during the Fifa World Cup.
Manenberg
He returned to Strand as Vispol head in 2014 before eventually ending up in Manenberg in the same position in 2015.
He had a position in Mitchells Plain at the time which he was meant to take up, but was instead requested at Manenberg. Here he assumed the role of acting station commander amid the uncontrollable gang war.
“At that time, the gang fight in Manenberg was hectic,” he says.
In July 2020, with his promotion to Brigadier, he was officially appointed as station commander.
Some of the biggest challenges he mentions are the removal of several detectives to the Anti-gang Unit.
“They were working like a well-oiled machine. They were consistently taking cases to the high court and taking them away the detectives had to start with a new batch from scratch. This really had an impact. If things are working, don’t interfere with it,” he says.
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He continues that Manenberg started off with a strong staff complement, which has since been reduced from 250 to 160.
“They should not only resource the station when there are wars, they should give Manenberg their own people. This station is critical,” he says.
With his 38-year career officially coming to an end four years after taking up the seat at the head of Manenberg, the South African Police Service have also gifted Zama seven additional years service, which will result in him receiving a 45 year long service award soon.
This is done for the excellent service and dedication he has shown to the police over his career.
Zama will officially retire on 31 July. “I have not been back since I joined the police. I am taking a gap year because my wife is still working, but I am looking forward to going home,” he says.
