THE Jeffreys Bay Police Station has a new commander after Colonel Malibongwe Nstabo was transferred to Grahamstown following a five-year stint.
Last week Lieutenant Colonel Zolani Xawuka took over his new position and was welcomed by cluster commander Brigadier Niel Jantjies.
He said there were a lot of challenges in Jeffreys Bay facing the station commander. One of the biggest is that of break-ins into businesses and residential property.
"We have seen an increase in house-breaking over the last two months, since the release of 60 prisoners. Most of these prisoners were in jail for house-breaking or theft,” says Jantjies.
He says the police need the community to co-operate with them and provide information regarding criminal activities in the area.
"We welcome Col Xawuka to Jeffreys Bay and from the cluster side, we will give him all the support he needs,” said Jantjies. Xawuka has served in the police force for the past 24 years. His first post was at the Nigel Police Station as a constable. When he was promoted to warrant officer in 1995, he was transferred to Maclear where he was commander of visible policing as well as station commander. The following year he received his National Police Diploma.
In 2000 he was promoted to captain and transferred to Aliwal North.
Three years later he obtained a BTech degree in policing from Unisa.
In 2004 he was again transferred, this time to Cradock after he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was the visible policing commander in Aliwal North and Cradock.
Four years later he was transferred as station commander to Willowmore where he established the Willowmore cluster and acted as cluster commander until a cluster commander was appointed.
Xawuka says his door is always open to the public.
