Publications
The new provincial head of the Hawks believes good old-fashioned detection work and a passion for the job, “a calling”, can be very fulfilling for members and instil confidence amongst the people of the Northern Cape.
Maj. Gen. Steve Mabuela (57) has only been in the hot seat for a few weeks, but he spent time in December with his predecessor, Maj. Gen. Kholekile Galawe, to acclimatise and get a feeling for the province’s unique policing challenges. He hopes good health will see him through his seven year contract.
Mabuela started his career in Randfontein 36 years ago. He will commute between the Diamond City and Randfontein where his family still resides.
He has a B-Tech degree in police administration, an advanced diploma in Human Resources Management, and a masters degree in Management and Development. Mabuela has undergone training at the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the management of priority crime cases.
He experienced the amalgamation between the then Scorpions and the Hawks and is an expert in, amongst others, tracing wanted fugitives, cash-in-transit robberies, bank robberies, ATM bombings, serious corruption and national priority violent crimes. He has been a branch, unit and section commander in different departments and police stations.
“To get rid of illegal miners, you must strategically bring the syndicates to a fall. Eradicate the market for these goods. We must focus on the more sophisticated part of the cartels, the buyers. If you take them out of the equation, the network will collapse. It means that more project investigations that entail unconventional detective methods will be introduced.
“Similarly, I am focusing on corruption cases, and why some of the investigations take longer than the public expects of us.
“We certainly need to speed up investigations. I have identified some areas that need improvement.”
He will not make drastic changes, especially where processes and systems are functioning well.
“I am fortunate that I inherited a solid foundation to work on.”
Being a detective means to uncover the truth and connect the dots.
“There is so much satisfaction in that. I never became a policeman to make money, I am here to render a service to the community.
“Crimes are not solved during office hours; you must work around the clock and walk the extra mile. The current crop of members may be more concerned about overtime payments. How would you feel if your brother or sister was murdered, and the investigator is reluctant to work because of overtime payment concerns?
“To me it was quite fulfilling when a murderer was convicted, and the family members were grateful and found closure. It made me feel extremely satisfied, a feeling money cannot buy.
“Good old detective work, tried and trusted sophisticated methodologies, combined with modern technology, as well as dedication, will make you a successful detective. Those are the qualities I want to inculcate in the members.”
Detective work is not routine, as every case has its unique merits and set of facts that requires a detective to think outside the box.
