Johannesburg - Criminals be warned: She is watching you!
She may look like a beggar, a domestic worker, a passerby or an ordinary person but she is not.
She is fighting crime and ready to bust you.
Her name is Major-General Ellen Ndaba, the first female commander to take over the Hillbrow policing cluster.
Ndaba is among a few of her peers, who cancel meetings and dress in her blue uniform to kick down doors at infamous hostels like Jeppe and Cleveland during crime operations.
She goes as far as joining her juniors at the detective units, to investigate cases that may lead to the successful apprehension of the most wanted criminals in her cluster.
Barely two weeks ago, disguised as a domestic worker, she led a team of policemen out to the streets in Hillbrow to arrest a businessman believed to be behind a syndicate of stolen cellphones.
At the time of the arrests, her attention was glued to a smash-and-grab docket that was about to be closed due to insufficient evidence.
“I walked inside the shop dressed as a domestic worker. After engaging with the suspect, I knew he was the culprit.
“So, I left the store promising the suspect that I’d be back to purchase a smartphone. The man believed I was a domestic worker desperate for a cellphone. He even opted to give it to me at a discount price. But when I returned with my team, we apprehended him. He was surprised. He is now behind bars, the docket was taken to court instead of being closed,” she said.
Earlier this month, she welcomed acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and Police Minister Nathi Nhleko to her cluster, at the opening launch of the newly built Yeoville police station.
“For many years the police in Yeoville operated in a much smaller station. The satellite station didn’t have holding cells, while the crime was growing every day. It was too much of a workload for the officers working here,” she said.
Ndaba, who took over as the Hillbrow cluster commander in January, said the area under jurisdiction was the last in terms of performance.
“We have 22 clusters in Gauteng, and Hillbrow was the last. This meant Yeoville, which falls under the cluster, was a contributor of this poor performance rate. Yeoville is not as big as Hillbrow, but the contribution in terms of crime was far too high,” Ndaba said, adding that a trio of crimes – murder, hijacking and robberies – were on the increase.
“There is a difference and we can see a decrease in crime, although it is not all the crimes,” she added, saying the cluster was now rated 14th in the province.
Ndaba said the decrease can be attributed to the help of the community.
“I came here and made it clear to all the policemen and women that we needed to engage with the community. My interest is working with the community; they are our eyes and ears.
“The engagement has helped us nail the criminals in the area. Tip-offs from the community led to successful arrests and the recovery of hijacked vehicles,” said Ndaba.
She described her leadership as a challenge she was ready to face, saying she has experience in her current position.
In 2002, she was appointed station commander of Diepkloof, taking after Senior Superintendent Elias Mashau, who was killed by Soweto’s most wanted criminal, Thabang Khumalo. He is currently serving a life sentence.
She was then moved to several other stations including Eldorado Park and Kliptown, before she was promoted as the Orlando Cluster Commander.
It was under her leadership, in Soweto, that many witnessed the arrest of Jackie Maarohanye, also known as Mama Jackie, a controversial Soweto school principal who was arrested for kidnapping and fraud.
Maarohanye, is also the mother of convicted killer and former musician Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye.
Before arriving in Joburg in 2002, Ndaba headed a few stations in North West. In 2012, she was promoted to deputy provincial commissioner.
The Sunday Independent
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