PRETORIA - As the country commemorates Women’s Month, the South African Police Service will shine the spotlight on women within its ranks.
Today, we introduce the nation to Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Lillian Mene, the Provincial Commissioner of the Eastern Cape.
Lieutenant General Mene was appointed into this position on 1 December 2021. She is responsible for 199 Police Stations and various specialized units within the Province.
She has a B-Tech Degree in Policing and is a seasoned Cop with 40 years’ service in the South African Police Service, having joined the service in 1984.
She started her career as a Constable at New Brighton SAPS and has since worked at various stations and units. She was appointed as Station Commander at the rank of Warrant Officer in 1998 and has been a Station Commander at seven police stations in the Eastern and Western Cape, including Humansdorp, St Francis Bay, Port Alfred, Grabouw, Stellenbosch and Khayelitsha.
In 2016 she was promoted to the rank of Major General as a cluster commander of the Worcester Cluster in the Western Cape.
She served as the Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner responsible for Support Services in the Western Cape before her appointment as head of Eastern Cape province.
Under her administration she has made significant progress in empowering women and achieving gender equality in the Eastern Cape Province. Under the Gender Equity Act the Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner has appointed more than 40% female commanders of which two of her Deputies are females.
The following successes have been achieved:
The province managed to arrest more than twenty suspects on cash in transit robberies and recently foiled one. Just last week, five CIT suspects were shot and killed and three others arrested following a CIT armed robbery in the province. Some money that was stolen during the robbery was also recovered.
Through operation Shanela the Province arrested more than 72 000 suspects for crime related offences, confiscated 2230 unlicensed firearms and 28 000 rounds of ammunition.
Drugs worth more than R2 million were recently seized in East London.
During the financial year 2023/2024 the Province managed to secure 109 life sentences for 103 suspects.
A 7 life term imprisonment sentence was also imposed for a serial rapist in Gqeberha.
Lt General Mene maintains that hard work and dedication will get one far in life.
“It is only through action will we be able to win back the trust and confidence in SAPS. We must continue to work hard to serve and protect our communities”, said Lt Gen Mene.
