Over 3,000 new cops pass out on parade to bolster security for G20 Summit

A total of 3,558 newly trained constables have passed out on parade nationwide, with some set to be deployed across South Africa as part of heightened security for this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit.

The summit will be held at the Nasrec Expo Centre this weekend.

Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia addressed 2,036 of the new constables at the SAPS Tshwane Academy on Friday, where simultaneous passing-out parades were held at several academies nationwide. 

He was joined by Deputy Minister Dr Polly Boshilelo, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, and other senior officials.

“Look around you. See the line of blue. See the polished shoes, the steadfast posture and the determined faces,” Cachalia told the graduates. 

“This is not just a uniform. It is a symbol of service, of integrity and of our covenant with the people of South Africa.”

Cachalia said the constables had arrived at the academy nine months earlier as individuals but were now leaving as “a unified corps” bound by a shared oath. 

Their training, he said, had tested them mentally, physically and ethically.

He urged them to uphold the SAPS Code of Conduct, calling it their ethical compass. 

“Integrity is not what we display when we are being watched; it is what we uphold when no one else is looking.”

Cachalia also emphasised the meaning of the uniform. 

“This blue uniform does not make you a warrior; it makes you a guardian. You are not an occupying force; you are part of the community,” he said. 

Officers, he added, must serve with compassion, de-escalate tense situations, and treat victims with dignity.

Acknowledging the challenges of policing, he said the profession “demands courage in the face of danger and resilience in the face of trauma”. 

He urged recruits to rely on their colleagues and remember the commitment that brought them into the service.

“The SAPS is entrusting you with its future. The people of South Africa are entrusting you with their safety. Do not let them down,” he said.

Meanwhile, Masemola said the group formed part of the February 2025 intake and reminded the recruits to uphold the Constitution, particularly Section 205, which outlines the SAPS mandate. 

He urged them to exercise their powers responsibly and reject corruption.

He confirmed that, in addition to the Tshwane cohort, parades were held at: Bishop Lavis Academy (Western Cape) 315, Graaff-Reinet Academy (Eastern Cape): 339, Oudtshoorn Academy (Western Cape) 445, Philippi Academy (Western Cape), 423.

“I congratulate our new constables for completing the training programme,” Masemola said.

Mosikili, co-chair of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), previously said that Operation Shanela, the national high-density policing programme, would continue alongside G20 deployments. 

She said more than 1,000 recruits would bolster Gauteng policing during the summit, joining teams conducting roadblocks, checkpoints, patrols and rapid-response duties.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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