After 36 years in the South African Police Service (SAPS), and lots of memories and experiences to go with it, Captain Ezra October, communications officer at Cape Town Central police station, is hanging up his boots.

Before his last day, his colleagues adorned a conference room at the station with blue and gold, and surprised Captain October with a 60th birthday celebration, attended by his wife of 30 years, Letitia, and his son, Andrew.

In a walk down memory lane, Captain October reminisced about some of the highlights of his career, including his first vote in 1994 as a member of the police, community events and functions, as well as meeting the late former president Nelson Mandela, the late Springbok rugby player Chester Williams, the late actor Tolla van der Merwe and singer PJ Powers at South Africa’s first post-Apartheid international rugby game at Newlands stadium in 1995.

Captain October at his surprise 60th birthday celebration at Cape Town Central SAPS on Thursday August 29.

“In the tunnel, as the players walked out, I realised we were waiting for someone, and it was Nelson Mandela. I walked out and shook his hand. Big guy, with soft hands like the paws of a cat. It was the most amazing experience of my life.

“He encouraged us. He said: ‘Be safe, but work hard. Be diligent and be determined. Your work that you do is very important to the community.’ I thought ‘Wow, what a blessing.’ He really inspired me.

“I remember putting my hands in my pocket so as to not shake hands with anyone after that.”

Captain October, who lives in Strandfontein, said he ended up being a policeman because of his passion for people. “I didn’t know I wanted to be a policeman, but I knew I wanted to work with people.”

A young Ezra October at an information desk in 2010. Picture: Supplied

Growing up in Kensington, he saw most of his friends turn to drugs and gangsterism, and decided then he wanted to make a difference.

At the time he started at the police, he didn’t realise that there was an opportunity to engage with people in communities to create change. “When I saw a police vehicle as a child, I would run away.”

He joined the police in 1988, and first started working at Grassy Park police station for six months before finishing his training and starting his official career at Wynberg police working as a court orderly.

He said when he first joined, he was not prepared for the racial equality. In the Wynberg precinct, there was a mix of people - Upper Wynberg and Constantia were more affluent, and across the railway line, there were predominantly people of colour.

Captain Ezra October loved working in the community and did a number of puppet shows for the children.

He recalled receiving a complaint as a new policman in Constantia, and responding with his senior - a dark complexioned man. The complainant assumed that his senior couldn’t speak English or take down the statement, said Captain October. “I think they assumed I was a white laaitie, but I realised then and there that there was lots of inequality.”

Besides this experience, he said the cells at the stations were also divided by race, and even ranking officials were paid more if they were white.

When the country had its first democratic vote in 1994, Captain October first voted in Constantia - in honour of his senior who was insulted by a complainant, and because he thought he would never be able to vote in this affluent area.

He said when he first voted in 1994 it was as a member of the police, and he has worked through every democratic vote since.

It was during his time at Wynberg police that he became a communications officer, and realised that this is what he had wanted to do all along.

He got involved in community groups, schools and dealing with homelessness, women’s groups, even working with seniors, which were all his “favourite”, he said.

“I’ve met people of stature who were humble and people communities would look down on to engage with them and change their lives.”

He was also involved in community events such as seniors’ parties, soccer tournaments for the children, and programmes for homeless people.

After 17 years, Captain October was promoted and moved to Cape Town Central police station.

He said the dynamics were very different from Wynberg, so he started off slowly meeting people.

“In Cape Town, there was Parliament and marches, and a large business community and the people here were very different. I liked the variety of people - we had tourists and residents, business people and schools.”

Captain October, during his tenure at Cape Town Central, continued where he left off in Wynberg, but this time in the city centre - doing puppet shows for children, encouraging talks at schools, engaging with the homeless and assisting tourists and neighbourhood watches.

He said Cape Town Central police members have become his family. “The members have made a mark in my life. They matter to me.”

Captain October’s commander, Colonel Natasha Thomas, said Captain October was the one person in the police people would call when they needed help, or if a tourist or foreigner needed to get home, or if they were in traumatic situations, and those expectations were always met as far as he could.

She said he was courageous, selfless, accepted everyone and reached out to everyone.

“He is a devoted Christian and helped me in my journey to become a better person.”

When asked what he was going to do with all the spare time on his hands, Captain October and Ms October said: “Have fun!”

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Captain October hangs up his boots