Nongqai Vol 13 No 7

REMINISCES OF A RAILWAY POLICEMAN

A saying comes to mind the voice may be arrested but the fingers are free to express and with this in mind my next police story as promised.

I was a newly-promoted warrant officer and reported one afternoon for the 13h40 till 22h00 shift the old two, ten shift. No sooner was I in the Charge Office when I saw these two very neat well-dressed gentlemen with dun streep-ties come to the counter and asked for me by name and I responded that I was the person they were asking for and I then ask how can I be of assistance. Then quicker than Clint Eastwood on the fast draw produced S.A. Police appointment certificates and I saw that the one was a lieutenant ....... and the other a warrant officer.........They asked me politely and with a smile that I was to accompany them to their office and I need not ask any senior officer or my present station commander any permission as all protocol and instructions for my accompanying them have been observed and done.

Well, who am I to argue, and I followed these two officers to their vehicle and off we drove till we arrived at an impressive looking office block on the Foreshore Cape Town. We all climbed into a lift and as we came to the floor where their offices where I asked to use the toilet. The warrant officer then showed me the way and while I stood at the urinal, I noticed that he was standing right behind me almost as if he was guarding me. When I had finished, I was escorted to the lieutenant’s office and he picked up the phone and told some person that I had arrived.

A few moments later a general ... walked in what struck me was his shiny, almost silk like suite and his unfriendly face and attitude and without much ceremony or courteous credentials he told me to cooperate with his two officers and all depending on my answers I could be a witness or an accused.

With these stinging words he made an about turn and left me to the two officers who I could not help but had done a metamorphosis on their attitude towards me from being friendly to becoming stern face and almost abrupt. I then realised I was not in the lion's den but was in the hyenas’ den and got scared very scared.

To make me go even more on the scared trail I was asked to hand over my official police pistol, a P38 9mm pistol, and to take off all my rank insignia, name plate and police cap all of which was placed in a safe. The lieutenant then made a phone call to Cape Town Central Charge Office and asked that a cell be kept open for a policeman. Here I was stripped, scared and not having a clue what or where this scene, this act was going and, in my mind, we were on our way to Hollywood but the script was a mystery at least to me.

The biggest fear one has is when stands alone and here I am in an arrested environment and I am standing alone but not for long. I started to pray earnestly to God in Jesus Name to please help me I am in the valley of the shadow of death. Almost instantly I became calm and almost confident, almost cannot wait to hear where were these officers taking me.

The lieutenant asked me to tell him about the harbour and what I did in this environment and I stated talking and talking but I still on the rough road of lack of knowledge but the questions about me and the harbour kept coming until I said I knew most officials of other departments e.g. Customs, Immigration etc. This statement prompted them to take me to another room with a large table a table covered with photos of Immigration Officers and each photo was numbered. I was then asked to look at each photo and to name the official. I went down the line-up and knew some by name others by just greeting and I NOTICED THAT NOTES WERE BEING TAKEN AND A TAPE RECORDER was recording all their questions and my answers.

After this interviewing project I was given a cup of tea yes in a saucer with a meaty pie this was a break, but the warrant officer was with me all the time my guardian angel my warder of custody. After the lunch I again asked for the toilet and yes, the warrant officer stood behind me but this time he spoke and asked the following, "Adjudant ek verstaan jou nie, jy is nie bang nie, jy is nie senuweeagtig nie, jy is baie kalm?"

I responded that if one knows in his heart that he has done nothing wrong then why must one worry. I was taken back to the office and the lieutenant got up and sat on the table in front of me and asked me the following question, 'BLAKE DO YOU KNOW BILLY THE FILIPINO?". I looked up at him and calmly said without hesitation, “YES I DO."

• Police Story: Blake Arrested Stripped of Rank for Corruption. Part 3. The only I DO that is binding is when you stand at the pulpit next to your beloved till death us do part so that's why I told the lieutenant YES, I DO because I was nowhere next to any beloved. I was asked to explain how I happen to know BILLY THE FILIPINO and this was my tale, I stated that a few weeks prior I had come to work by train and arrived at Cape Town Station and then I saw a club owner who I knew very well and his father all of Lebanese origin and he excited told me that a Filipino seaman by the name of Billy had jumped ship and he was now working for him. The work was to go to the ships in the Table Bay Harbour and then this Billy would speak to his fellow countrymen/sailors to come visit his club. I knew this was illegal as this Billy was an illegal immigrant

I then told the lieutenant and his warrant officer who lips were almost drooling that a few days later the sergeant in charge of the Table Bay 'NAVRAE UNIT" had approached me and in his hand, he had a warrant of arrest for a lady of the night or as one prim and proper Englishman told me lady of the village, and he and his staff cannot find her despite all their efforts. I told this sergeant I will find her and arrest her on this warrant which he handed over to me.

but the club owner stated and show me documents that he was busy with Home Affairs to make this Billy a legal resident. I then was picked up by my colleagues and thought nothing further of this incident.

Later that evening I started my hunting and when to numerous club until I came to a club where I also knew the owner and did enquiries regarding the lady mentioned in the warrant of arrest and I was told he does not know anything about this lady and I accepted his answer and started to walk down the stairs when the club owner called me back and stated, ‘You know Mr. Blake I got too much respect for you to lie to you, I do know this lady and I know exactly where she is." Well, I stopped in my tracks and went back up the stairs and I could not help watching the thick cigar he was smoking and it reminded me of dynamite and here he was going to ignite my ego with the whereabouts of the suspect I was looking for.

He calmly told me that he had a new employee by the name of BILLY who had jumped ship and was bringing all his fellow countrymen to his club where they would spend their monies and that he was busy with Home Affairs to make this BILLY a legal citizen and no I was not inhaling Cuba's finest secondary smoke in overdose this is what this club owner told me. In the past couple days two rival club owners were telling me the exact same story or did BILLY have an identical twin. Now there is no words in the known English language to describe my interrogators expression or suppressed excitement as to my tale I am telling them and I telling them the truth.

• Police Story: Blake Arrested Stripped of Rank for Corruption. Part 4 Meanwhile back at the ranch sorry the club the owner stated yes BILLY had fallen in love with the female suspect I was hunting on a warrant of arrest and BILLY was doing so good luring seamen from the ship and not to mention the currency spent whether domestic or foreign money makes the world go round, that the owner had sent BILLY and his new love on a weekend honeymoon without the holy I DO to a holiday house in Saldanha all expenses paid. The owner stated that as soon as the loving couple came back, he will inform me so I can do the arrest of my suspect.

Well, I told my interrogators a few days later I received the promised call and was told my suspect is at a house in Woodstock and I was given the home telephone number and the address in Woodstock. I then called in my one patrol van and told them to go to the given address and wait a few houses from it and as soon as I say on the police radio 'GO' then they must enter the house quickly and arrest the woman on the phone.

Woodstock where his South African girlfriend lived. That evening 21h00 I waited and waited but no Immigration Officers rocked up so that I can assist them and I presumed they wanted to do their official duties on their own without my assistance and that was the last I heard of BILLY until now that I have been arrested and stripped and I have never seen BILLY.

The lieutenant looked at me and then left the room but my guardian angel the warrant officer never left my presence, I became tired and I had no idea what the time was and I fell asleep a very uncomfortable sleep on two chairs and yes, my guardian angel, the silent one, just sat there watching and I wandering what next what awaited me this lonnnng night.

• Police Story: Blake Arrested, Stripped of Rank for Corruption. Part 5

The truth shall set you free and on the subject of free one cannot forget that statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Free, Free At Last Praise The Lord I Am Free At Last.

As I was asleep on the two chairs and watched by the warrant officer in the semi darkened heard the sound of many voices and I distinctly heard the voice of an officer I knew who commanded a special unit and this wakened me. As I started to get up from the chairs the office door opened and there dressed all in black, a black polo neck jersey and black pants, stood the lieutenant almost like an executioner or a man who had been on some secret mission but I had to admit he made quite a striking figure but at that moment the only strike I was worried about what was to strike me in this whole scenario. He had in his hands my cap, pistol, rank insignia and my name plate and told me to put them back on, yes, the stripped had all his stripes back on I was once again a fully dressed, fully restored member of the South African Police. His words which I will never forget, "Blake you are free to go, I am not quite happy, but you are free and here is my card and if you need my advice or want to know anything you can contact my two officers who will take you home."

I said nothing absolutely nothing I had taken a vow of silence because I was quietly thanking God for delivering me from this still unknown nightmare but praise be to God, I was Free, Free at Last. I was taken to a car downstairs and the door at the back was opened and the two officers drove off.

No question as to the directions to my home in Ottery, no these two colleagues seemed uncannily without a word from me knew the way. At the front of my doorstep, I was dropped off, no greetings, no small talk just complete silence as I walked into my house. Tina’s face I will never forget as she saw me with tears in my eyes and as we hugged, I took a fleeting glimpse at the watch and it was 02h30 in the morning yes, my nightmare was 12hours long. We climbed into bed and under the blankets in a whispered voice I told Tina what I had gone through.

Early the next morning my then station commander the late Robert du Preez phoned me and asked me if I was alright and that I can stay at home and he will tell me later what was his instructions and orders in relation to my being taken away for questioning. The next morning, I received a phone call from a colleague to go buy THE CAPE TIMES and to see the headline on the front page. I bought the paper and the headlines read IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION and yes it was all about BILLY THE PHILLIPINO and his Columbus project to find a new land and he was worth his weight in gold in recruiting revenue from fellow seamen to spend that revenue at a club or should that be clubs where he was employed.

When you read my story, one cannot but notice the great effort, the extreme investigation tactics, the manpower, the general, the media that was unleashed on me someone was and this is my opinion was jealous extremely jealous of what I was doing in the harbour, someone was out to belittle me and yes this was not the last attempt in a few months’ time maybe less I will tell the next saga the saga that you will realise yes what my opinions are where spot on. THE END.