NELSPRUIT – Four Nkomazi police detectives had been awarded with certificates of exceptional performance in the arrest and prosecution of suspects last week. Eleven police detectives from eight police stations in the province were also awarded during the event that was held at MRTT near Nelspruit. “This is a quarterly event that was established earlier this year aiming to motivate and boost the morale of police members who are on a daily basis confronted by serious challenges of gruesome crime scenes and difficult decisions to make,” said the Mpumalanga police spokesperson Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi. Nkosi said that Mpumalanga police management wants to acknowledge their good jobs. “Though we acknowledge that whilst we are awarding these good police and on the other hand we still have corrupt officials within our rank,” she said. “As a management, we send a strong message to those corrupt police officers who continue taking bribes and stealing exhibits from police store rooms that they will be dealt with harshly,” said Nkosi. Constable Stella Mkansi, of Acornhoek police station, who was the only female detective awarded said she thanked the whole team that is behind her successes. “I am happy to represent detective women in the province for this quarter, this came to me as a surprise because I didn’t think there are people recognizing what I am doing on a daily basis,” she said. Constable Mkansi said being a detective police is challenging because you are faced with difficulties when investigating serious crime cases. Mkansi encourages other female police to take charge of being investigators. “I know it’s not easy but there is no job that belongs to men in our country,” she said. The other detectives are: Inspector Puleng Aphane of organized crime unit in Middelburg, Inspector Danie Theron Water Wing in Ehlanzeni district, Inspector Louis Stander of Malalane police station, Sergeant Johannes van der Westhuizen known as Inspector JR and Constable Phineas Mathabela both from Hectorspruit dog unit near Malalane, Inspector Thomas Mabuza of Tonga police station, Sergeant Joseph Nkosi and his younger brother Mandla Nkosi both from Machadodorp police station, Inspector Humphrey Mokoena and Constable Lincho Motubatse both from Masoyi police station. They were awarded for investigating cases ranging from murders, rapes, armed robberies, house robberies, live saving and possession of drugs.