DURBAN - A METRO police officer who graduated yesterday with a Master’s degree in child care and protection, said his passion for children’s rights motivated him to pursue the postgraduate degree.
Captain Veli NP Ndlovu, 38, a Durban metro police officer, graduated at a virtual graduation ceremony held by the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Ndlovu, who is also a qualified social worker, said he was with the SAPS for 12 years and worked as a social worker before joining the metro police two years ago.
“When I worked for the SAPS I got a lot of compliments from members of the public as I seemed to be doing a lot of cases that involved children. It was then that I decided to do more for children, and I enrolled for social work studies at Unisa.
“When I graduated in 2015 as a social worker I resigned from the SAPS. I worked as a social worker for two years.”
Ndlovu said it was his passion for child protection that made him pursue his chosen degree.
“I felt that with a Bachelor’s degree in social studies, I had a great understanding of legislation. I wanted to incorporate it with treaties both internationally and locally, to domestic legislation. To achieve this I needed to study for a Master’s in child care and protection,” he said.
Ndlovu said another proud accolade was being rewarded while still at the SAPS, for stopping a mother from killing her 3-year-old daughter in 2019.
“I received information that a lady had attempted to kill her 3-year-old daughter.
“When I received the information, I engaged the station commander of Cato Manor SAPS to officially book me for duty.
“On the same night, I was able to arrest the lady and managed to rescue the child, who had severe injuries. I was rewarded with R15 000 for solving the case.”
Metro police communication officer, Superintendent Zama Dlamini, said they were very proud of Ndlovu and his achievements, adding that they encouraged other police officers to follow his example and study further.
THE MERCURY