“I receive this recognition tonight with humility, but also with caution. Because the work of a police officer is not performed for applause. It is not performed for headlines. It is not performed for awards. It is performed for the people of South Africa.
As a disciplined member of the South African Police Service, I took an oath many years ago; an oath to uphold the Constitution, protect the citizens of this country and defend the rule of law without fear or favour.
That oath does not change depending on political convenience, media pressure, public opinion or personal consequence. Therefore, this award must never be misunderstood. The media briefing of 6 July 2025 was not an exercise in popularity. It was not a campaign. It was not an attempt to become a public figure. It was an act of duty. An act informed by conscience. An act informed by the love of this country. And an act informed by the responsibility I carry as the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal.
When institutions begin to fear the truth more than they fear criminality, society enters dangerous territory.
South Africa is standing at such a crossroads. We cannot continue to normalise corruption. We cannot continue to protect incompetence. We cannot continue to romanticise criminality while honest citizens live behind burglar bars, businesses collapse under extortion, communities are terrorised by organised crime and public trust in institutions continues to erode.
The truth is painful; A capable state cannot coexist with compromised institutions.
And the process of renewal cannot selectively target certain sectors while others remain untouched. The spring cleaning currently confronting the criminal justice system must cut across all sectors of society; government departments, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and yes, even the media itself.
Every institution in this country must ask itself; Are we serving South Africa, or are we serving ourselves? Because patriotism is not found in slogans. It is found in accountability. It is found in ethical leadership. It is found in courage. And it is found in the willingness to place country before comfort.
We do not all have to agree. We do not all have to be friends. But we all have a responsibility to serve the interests of South Africa. This country does not need heroes. It needs principled people. People who will do their jobs honestly when nobody is clapping for them. People who understand that integrity is not a performance, but it is discipline. Accepting this award therefore does not suggest that all is well in our country.
It is precisely because all is not well that every one of us must recommit ourselves to making it well. If South Africa is serious about a national reset, then that reset must include all of us; political leadership, law enforcement, the judiciary, business, civil society and the media. No institution can place itself above scrutiny while demanding accountability from others.
Tonight, I accept this award primarily on behalf of the men and women in blue.
- The police officers who leave their homes every day uncertain if they will return.
- The detectives working through the night to secure convictions.
- The officers who continue to serve with integrity despite intimidation, despite limited resources and despite relentless criticism.
- The members who still believe in the badge.
- The members who still believe that the SAPS can and must become a trusted instrument of justice for the people of South Africa.
There are many honest and committed police officers in this country. Men and women who refuse to surrender this organisation to corruption, criminal infiltration or institutional decay. This recognition belongs to them.
To those who continue to carry the integrity of the organisation. To those committed to building a safe, ethical and capable state. To those who understand that service to the people is not a slogan — it is a sacred responsibility.
History will not judge us by the titles we held, the awards we collected or the speeches we delivered. History will judge us by whether we defended the truth when it mattered. Whether we protected the weak when it was difficult. And whether we placed the future of South Africa above personal interest. May we all find the courage to do so.
I THANK YOU.”
