Cape Town - “Those who stand at the barriers of crime scenes, those who process the crime scenes, who face a rape victim or a hijacked hacked victim. I speak for station commanders who have the most difficult job in the police.”
These are the words of Lieutenant-General Sharon Jephta who has close to 40 years of policing under her belt and retired in 2019.
This coming week, Jephta is preparing for the launch of her book: “Serving with Integrity, Commitment and Excellence” on June 7 between 11am and 1pm at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria.
At 18, she was the first female police officer stationed at Manenberg Police Station.
She has served in various capacities, serving as the Divisional Commissioner: Inspectorate, Divisional Commissioner to Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Detective Service and many others including crime intelligence.
Jephta said, in a statement, she was the first coloured woman to face a Fitness Board as others simply threw in the towel and left the police or aborted their “unborn babies”; a choice which she did not even consider.
She faced being dismissed from the police because she had lost her virginity, as if it was a compulsory criteria for a police woman to be a virgin.
Throughout her career she saw the evolution of women in the police, breaking the barriers of how men perceived women in uniform.
“I wrote the book to be the mouthpiece of those at the coalface of service delivery,” said Jephta.
“Those who stand at the barriers of crime scenes, those who process the crime scenes, who face a rape victim or a hijack victim.
“I speak for station commanders who have the most difficult job in the police, but the most satisfying.”
Gareth Newham, Head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme, Institute for Security Studies said the book showcased what it was like being in the police during political change.
“It provides a rare and thoughtful insight into what it was like to serve as a police officer in the SAPS over a period when the organisation and the country underwent profound social and political change,” he said.
Book extract, of Chapter 14:
“It was not long that a woman who was dressed in a bright coloured kaftan and had two L-shaped gold teeth grills in the centre of her upper dentures, smiling broadly at me as she walked down the paved path to the gate, and started to have a conversation with me.
“She wanted to know who I was, because she had not seen me in the area previously. I said I was new, and introduced myself, shaking her lifeless hand, which had no grip on her shake.
“As we were speaking, she pushed a roll of notes in my hand. I was so shocked and instinctively threw the money back at her, but she didn’t catch it, resulting in the money dropping to the ground. As she bent down to pick up the roll of money, she told me I should take the money because she knows we are not paid well for the job that we are doing.
“I did not even think if I should take the money or not, as my choice to serve with integrity and the boundaries I set at the start of my career, guided me. I made it clear to her that I did not need her money, as I was getting a salary for the work I did. Very disappointed, she told me that I was the first cop who refused to take money from her; she also told me she always looked after the police officers working at the station, and that she wants nothing in return. Without saying another word, she made an about-turn, dragging her feet back down the pathway, mumbling and pulling her headscarf to the back, as if she was trying to get more oxygen. She vanished into the house. While I was waiting on my partner, I felt betrayed as if this was a planned ploy to get me to fall into the pit of corruption and bribery. When we left, there was an absolute silence as we drove to the station.”
Book for online attendance visit:
https://crimehub.org/events/policing-defined-by-principles-a-police-general-tells-her-story
“Serving with Integrity, Commitment and Excellence” is available at TAKEALOT or from the author.