This tribute remembers Warrant Officer Lawrence Govender as a dedicated Police Reservist who served the South African Police, his community, and SAPS Mountain Rise for many years. It says his service, sacrifice, medals, and example will be remembered with pride, respect and gratitude.
A police force’s greatest danger is not the criminal outside the gate, but the policeman who opens it from within.
From typist to Deputy National Commissioner
The attachment is an Afrikaans article titled "Hommeltuie toegerus met GPS Tegnologie" about Ukraine’s Brave 1 drone mine-detection technology and related battlefield software systems. It also includes a short local news example about a drone helping rescue a stranded hiker on Table Mountain.
The ZARPs, turned mounted infantry, held the exposed koppie at Bergendal with exceptional discipline under hours of British shelling. Their stand, praised even by Arthur Conan Doyle, broke Botha’s line and marked the end of conventional warfare in the Anglo‑Boer War.
The brutal murder of Capt. Anna‑Marie Potgieter on 17 January 2006 shook South Africa deeply and silenced a heroine of child protection.
Jack the Baboon was a Chacma baboon who worked as a railway signalman at Uitenhage station in the Eastern Cape during the 1880s. The article says he was trained by James "Jumper" Wide and worked for about nine years without a mistake.
September 23, 2026
Johan van Zyl vertel van Just Nuisance, die Groot Deense hond wat in Simonstad met Britse matrose bevriend geraak het en later amptelik as matroos ingeskryf is. Hy beskryf ook sy avonture, sy 'huwelik', en sy dood en militêre begrafnis.
September 20, 2026
This article explains how the Ferreira Raid in November 1906 reflected tensions between the British, Boers and Germans after the South African War. It describes the raid, the Cape Mounted Police response, the trial, and the claim that the episode was a quixotic rehearsal for the 1914 Afrikaner rebellion.
September 9, 2026
This brief note refers to a 1974 Rand Daily Mail report in which Dr Eschel Rhoodie denied allegations that he or his department had any dealings with a suspected spy. The piece highlights the political sensitivity of the period and reflects the broader climate of suspicion surrounding intelligence activities in South Africa during the mid-1970s.
September 8, 2026
Mike Nagamuthoo is celebrating his 91st birthday after a long and meaningful life. He served the South African Police with dedication from 1956 until his retirement, and his story is presented as an example of service, family, respect and commitment to the community.
August 4, 2026
This article describes the South West Africa Territorial Force’s 1 SWA Specialist Unit (1 SWASpes), a unique counter-insurgency unit during the Border War. It says the unit combined horse-mounted infantry, motorcycles, trackers and specialized dogs, and was formed in 1977 at Oshivelo.
May 25, 2026
Attaching a piece on the bushveld in the dry season — a follow-up to the rainy-season feature I sent in March. The article focuses on how herbivores redistribute around remaining water in late August, fire-management practice in the southern reserves, and a brief comparison with the 1992 drought records.
A British-Azerbaijani man was arrested in Cyprus over alleged spying on RAF Akrotiri for Iran. The attachment says this is the first overseas investigation under the UK National Security Act and includes both an English and Afrikaans version of the report.
War in Peace: The Truth About the South African Police’s East Rand Riot Unit, 1986–1994 is a firsthand account of policing during one of the most volatile periods in South African history. It describes the experiences of the East Rand Riot Unit and the Internal Stability Division during the final years of apartheid and the transition to democracy.
This article describes the South West Africa Territorial Force’s 1 SWA Specialist Unit (1 SWASpes), a unique counter-insurgency unit during the Border War. It says the unit combined horse-mounted infantry, motorcycles, trackers and specialized dogs, and was formed in 1977 at Oshivelo.
