The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, has wished police officers taking part in the Comrades Marathon well.
“You have already won by entering this race,” said the Commissioner.
The race kicked off at the Durban City Hall in KwaZulu-Natal with 23 000 runners making their way up to the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg covering a distance of 85.9km on Sunday.
Masemola said that keeping police officers fit is a top priority.
“Keeping fit is an inherent requirement for all police officers and that is why we encourage fitness in the organisation. We have partnered with health clubs for discounts for our members. Every week members are allocated time to exercise to ensure our police officers are always ready to pursue criminals. We have regular fitness assessments for our members to assess their level of fitness.”
A total 356 men and women of the South African Police Service are participating in the 97 th edition of the race commonly known as the “Ultimate Human Race”.
“This is 156 more than last year’s 200 police officers who took part in the marathon,” said the SAPS in a statement ahead of Sunday’s race.
On Saturday, 08 June, SAPS management welcomed all 356 runners from all provinces at the Durban Central Police Station in KwaZulu-Natal.
SAPS Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have the most runners at this year’s marathon. A total of 313 males and 43 females make up the 356 runners that will be hoisting the SAPS flag higher.
The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal SAPS, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has assured runners and visitors to the province that police visibility has been heightened to ensure that residents, runners, and visitors are safe.
“We can assure the people of KZN and runners that will be taking part in the race that their safety is our number one priority. Through our weekly operations, police visibility has been heightened. Our police officers are already on the ground to conduct roadblocks, conduct foot and air patrols,” said Mkhwanazi.
The acting Deputy National Commissioner responsible for Support Services, Lieutenant General Lineo Nkhoua says the organisation will continue to provide the necessary support to ensure members are mentally and physically healthy.
“Your mental and physical well-being is our number one priority. Management is here to support you, all you we want from you is to be great ambassadors for our mighty organisation. We are here to also thank all of you for being the beacon of hope in our organisation by showing many of our colleagues how fitness is achieved. We also want to thank POLMED our main sponsor for taking care of our police officers”, said Nkhoua. -SAnews.gov.za
