There is a new sheriff in town as the eThekwini District SAPS management and personnel, welcomes the recently-appointed acting eThekwini District Commissioner, Major General Mandlenkosi Robert Chirwa, who officially took up the reins on 1 July.
With 34 years of experience propelling him, Maj Gen Chirwa is ready to show his mettle. EThekwini District Communications Officer, Captain Carmen Rhynes, said, “Major General Chirwa is not new to the eThekwini District. He served as a Cluster Commander at Ilembe and eThekwini Inner South Cluster from 2016 to 2020. He was the District Commissioner at Harry Gwala District before transitioning to acting eThekwini District Commissioner. He has 34 years of faithful service in the organisation and is passionate about serving the community and decreasing crime.”
Maj Gen Chirwa joined the SAPS in May 1986 and has worked in many departments in the South African Police Service. He worked in various provincial and area divisions, such as discipline, human resource management, human resource utilisation and labour management.
Major General Chirwa completed a National Diploma in Police Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Law and a Diploma in Management. He also completed a Bachelor of Technology in Police Management. Enjoying the challenges of studying, he continued and completed yet another degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Theology. He believes we should never stop learning and continue to grow and challenge ourselves to be the best we can be.
The esteemed police officer’s track record highlights that he has also enjoyed working at cluster and station level and was the Cluster and Station Commander in Limpopo, Groblersdal and Ladysmith SAPS. Maj Gen Chirwa also had the privilege to be Station Commander at Inanda SAPS in Durban. His combined experience, will hold him in good stead when navigating solutions within the organisation and on the streets of eThekwini District.
“One of my top priorities is decreasing crime and increasing morale internally and in the community,” said Gen Chirwa who is a strong believer in ‘community policing’.
This seasoned police officer has expressed that he will use his experience to direct all his efforts at decreasing crime in eThekwini District and he has already begun sharing his vision and sourcing views with the various stakeholders within the community of Durban. His aim is to build strong partnerships with residents, community-based groups and various city stakeholders within Durban and surrounding areas.
“Crime prevention is everyone’s business. My goal is to achieve more effective crime control, reducing the fears of crime, improving quality of life and improving service delivery and legitimacy. I am very aware that these goals, can only be achieved through proactive reliance on community involvement and resources that will help seek to improve crime-causing conditions and problems. I encourage the police and the community to work closely together to solve problems of crime, physical and social disorder and neighbourhood decay,” Gen Chirwa said.
When he is not passionately fighting crime, Gen Chirwa dedicates his time to being a husband, father and grandfather. He believes it is important to not only serve his country and its communities but to also be there for his family. Gen Chirwa makes an effort to keep a healthy balance between policing and being a family man. He acknowledges that he owes his success today due to the support of his family and his spiritual faith that sustains him in all challenges and victories.
Major General Chirwa is committed to ensuring a positive way forward and to play a part in minimising crime in eThekwini District. With the help of his 42 Station Commanders, police members, a supportive community, all other government stakeholders and partners within the district and his faith, he is confident that eThekwini will be a shining light to all other districts in our nation.
