Mene upholding the Batho Pele Principles

Nomthetheleli Swartbooi-Mene is a proud mother of two children aged 27 and 24. She grew up in a small town called Humansdorp between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. This is where she completed her primary school before moving to Newell High School in New Brighton. Due to accommodation challenges she was facing then, she couldn’t continue further with her studies in PE. In 1980 and 1981 she studied at Fezekile Secondary School, which was based in Oudtshoorn. In 1993, Mene matriculated from Zimlindile High School in Tamara, Eastern Cape.

Mene joined the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1984 fresh from high school. “I was in the 3 rd group of African females chosen by SAPS (known as SAP then) to be trained as from June to December at Harmanskraal” she recounts. According to Mene, selection and placement processes back in the days were implemented based on race and gender .“I must say this before I forget, I felt in love with SAPS uniform before joining the force” she confesses. Speaking about her journey in the force, Mene mentioned it has not be an easy one not only for her but for women in general within SAPS. Some of the key positions she held within SAPS includes acting as the Station Commander in Humansdorp in 2004. Following year she was promoted to Port Alfred as a Station Commander (formerly known as Superintendent). In March 2009, she officially joined the Western Cape team as a Station Commander in Grabouw station.

From serving as a Brigadier in Stellenbosch, in 2015 she was officially deployed to Khayelitsha as the Station Commander, where she served only one year. As an addition to her long list of accomplishments, the following year she was appointed as the new Cluster Commander (Major General) of Worcester. Commenting on some of her milestones in this position, Mene commended all men and women in blue of this cluster for making sure communities are safe and crime is minimized. “As public servants we must always make sure to live and abide by the Batho Pele Principles” she adds. According to Mene, women have become better and competent managers in SAPS.