TAKE CARE OVER FESTIVE SEASON

FESTIVE MESSAGE BY MAJ GEN NOGWANYA, ACTING PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER.
By BBRIAN KAJENGO
As the Acting Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, I would like to wish the Provincial leadership; the Cluster and Station Commanders; all commanders; all members of the South African Police Service (SAPS); all members of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and all other stakeholders a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year ahead. 
“It has not been easy dealing with hard core criminals who would not hesitate to take off your life.
 “It has not easy for our members to loose their colleagues in line of duty. It has not been easy to loose our members through sickness. It has not been easy to all of us, however we stood firm continue to work harder and harder.” Maj. Gen. Nogwanya said.
Nogwanya went on to say both the management and the community we serve have noticed the sterling work and professionalism displayed by most of our members.
“We managed to arrest the suspects that were terrorising our communities every day.  You will recall the arrest(s) of Douglas Mogakane and Spykos to mention a few. Our success is devoted to our members, working side by side with our CPFs and communities.” Major General Nogwanya said.
Nogwanya extended his best wishes to the media houses in the province for the sterling job they have done throughout the year.
He recommends the hard work and dedication towards conveying messages to beautiful province noticed.
“You covered both good and bad news to all of us without fear or favour. You ensured that you bring our province to everybody’s attention and thus made it known. You need not get tired but continue to feed our nation with knowledge.” He said.
Major General Nogwanya urgued the motorists to drive safe and take serious precautions.
“As an advice for this festive season, I urge you to always be alert and take note of the following: have your nearest SAPS station telephone number at hand; hever trust strangers; do not take gifts / food / drinks from them as they might  poisoned or spiked;
·        Do not hitch-hike as it might also be dangerous;
·        Do not purchase second hand goods from an unregistered retailer;
·        Avoid walking alone in the evening or on secluded areas;
·        Do not drink and drive;
·        Avoid physical confrontations / fights;
·        Be aware of scams / fraudulent activities;
·        Do not leave your valuables unattended;
·        Report any strange behaviour to the police.
We also wish that our liquor outlets and taverns in our province comply with the Liquor Act. This will assist us with the challenge of drinking in public and driving under the influence of alcohol.
“You should assist us in the fight against the abuse of liquor more especially to women, which often leads to rapes and sexual assaults, burglaries and robberies. Ordinary people are also being attack and robbed on the streets when walking from taverns and shabeens.
“As we celebrate this festive season, let us be patriotic and responsible citizens. I wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2014 ahead.” He said.