By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar is retiring after 41 years of dedicated service to the City of Johannesburg and today marked his last day in service of the JMPD.
Minnaar, who also served as the spokesperson for the metro department, started his career as a traffic officer on January 8 1981. He has worked in the duty office and had a short stint serving at the K9 unit of the former traffic department.
At his farewell on Monday, colleagues spoke fondly of his rise to fame and how sad it was to see him leave.
Public safety MMC David Tembe and Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse were among them.
During the farewell event, the mayor described Minnaar as passionate and honest.
I am only bidding you farewell because I am told to do so but I have not accepted it, “she said.
“He did not only educate but informed. He has an uncompromising attitude when the truth is concerned and he is able to tell it with a smile.
“He manages to give off good energy even when he tells the hard truth.” Phalatse added that as a multiparty government, they would invest in educating and informing people.
“In my view, it is unfair to enforce the law when you have not educated the person first and you could discover that once you have done so, people will want to do the right thing,” she said.
Minnaar said he still felt he could contribute a lot to the department and the city. He said he had gained a lot of experience, having started serving the city in 1981.
I have become very accustomed to all the streets and the roads of Johannesburg.
“The area I will miss the most is Braamfontein. That is where I started my career as a 22-year-old officer,” he said.
Minnaar described the pinnacle of his career as the day he escorted the late Nelson Mandela to the wedding of his daughter, the late Zindziswa Mandela. This was, he said, the most memorable moment in the years he served the City of Johannesburg.
When they were done with the formal proceedings, I got the opportunity to interact with former president Mandela and that was an amazing experience,” he said.
Minnaar added that he had a few avenues in both the public and private sector to explore. He said he was ready to provide information and assistance and contribute towards safety while he embarked on crime prevention, and would educate motorists.
Cllr Micheal Sun, the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EISD) said if he was asked to write something about Minnaar he would have failed because “where do you start to write about the 41 years of dedication and selflessness he showed to the JMPD and the people of Joburg”.
“Being the face of JMPD is not easy, but Minnaar did it with so much ease. Thank you for the 41 golden years of serving the City. Have a golden start and please do not be too far from us, “Sun said.