Meet Sector 5’s new head

Oranjezicht has a new sector manager and he has a huge task at hand.

Constable Olwethu Motsi said he’s always been passionate about his work and followed in the footsteps of his grandfather who was also a police officer.

Constable Motsi said he started his career with SAPS Blue Downs cluster in 2016 before being transferred to Mitchell’s Plain as a Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) member. He was then appointed as a field manager before moving to the Cape Town Central police station last year.

He said he continued to work as a CPU member in the Central station until the position of sSector 5 commander became available in May this year.

The experience he gained working at other police stations, he said, had prepared him for this role.

Sector 5 includes Oranjezicht and Kloof Street.

“We were asked who is interested to be a sector commander and as a man who likes new challenges, I grabbed the opportunity,” he said.

Common crimes in the sector include theft out of motor vehicles, robberies and attempted theft of motor vehicles and while the areas were generally quiet, he said, Kloof Street sometimes posed a problem because of its connection to Long Street.

He said robbery victims were mostly young people coming from bars and using their cellphones to request e-hailing services.

Constable Motsi said he’s started showing up unexpectedly to conduct patrols in his sector. “I was appointed at the beginning of June and these unexpected visits are yielding positive results because the problematic days are no longer the same,” he said.

Just last week, he added, he and his partner made six arrests in one night.

He said they are currently facing a challenge with people stealing CCTV cameras and wheel caps in Oranjezicht. He said he will not rest until he finds the perpetrators.

“I think they are selling these cameras and for now, I don’t know how they take the cameras on people’s properties. There are serious complaints on the matter and not only in my sector,” he said.

He said he’s learnt over the years that you cannot catch criminals if all you do is sit in police vehicles.

“My mind always tells me I should always be the first to come out of the car and the last one person to get in,” he said.

Constable Motsi said he wants to build a good relationship with the neighbourhood watch in the sector and the security companies. He said he wants to be accessible to residents.

The sector commander can be reached on 078 324 3277.