Meet one of the top woman in blue

She’s been with the police services for 19 years and her achievements speak volumes of her hard work and dedication. Lieutenant-Colonel Irene Sekwakwa, who is an operational commander at Honeydew Police Station, takes a break from her busy schedule to chat to us about he chosen career path.

Sekwakwa joined the police services just after completing her matric. “I always wanted to be a a police officer.” She went through all the police training and in 1996 she was a police constable.

Her passion to work for the police service led her to go study policing and she obtained a B-Tech degree in Policing. Being a woman in a field that was previously male dominated never made her feel out of place. “It was never a challenge for me to work with my male counterparts.” She added that it also not a problem for her to work with male police officers more especially at the moment because she holds a managerial position at the station. “I’m a very strict and assertive person but at the same time I’m very much open for constructive criticism.”

The married mother of two says she never had difficulty in finding a balance in her work and family life. “Because of the nature of the job, one gets used to working flexi hours.”

With her dedication, Sekwakwa stepped up through the police ranks over the years. “I’m passionate about what I do and I always do things by the book.”

To bear proof of her love for her job, she has received numerous awards from the police service. In 2003, she was awarded with a certificate for being a good example to her colleagues because she had good attendance with no days absent from work. In the same year, she also received a goodwill shield in recognition of excellent service to the Honeydew precinct community.

In 2005 she received an award in recognition of outstanding, dedicated and dilligent service to the South African Police Service. The awards she received never stopped her from excelling. In 2009 she received an award for being the best client service commander, another one for commendation for service excellence and the other one for having the best conduct and being the most presentable female officer.

Sekwakwa gives credit for her achievements to the team that she works with at the police station. “I don’t give members instructions but I work together with them to tackle whatever issue is on hand.”