Hole in one for Cummins

Cummins Inc’s, the leading independent manufacturer of diesel engines in the world, local distributor CSA, joined forces with the Alexandra police station as part of its community involvement in the Support Partnership with Police Station (SPPS) programme.

This year, the 11th annual Alex SPPS Fund Raising Golf Day was hosted by Cummins SA. Cummins’ partnership with Alex Police Station began 12 years ago, shortly after former President Nelson Mandela sent out a plea for businesses to get actively involved in the fight against crime, and the registered company Business Against Crime was born.

“We help Alex police station in terms of raising money for certain areas that government funds do not cover,” explains Paul Kable, general manager: automotive business, Cummins SA, and project manager for this initiative. “These funds are utilised to enhance and assist the police in providing a better service delivery to the community, in its ongoing fight against crime.” A portion of the proceeds from last year’s event has recently been utilised in providing the necessary equipment to enable proper security for all dockets within the station, a problem which has existed for a while. All dockets have been neatly bundled and filed in sequence according to the severity of the particular crime. “Much effort is placed on training, improvement in working conditions, in-house communication, increased community involvement and focus on performance measures,” Kable elaborates.

Kable points out that a golf day is the most successful way of raising funds fast. “Every year we aim to raise a substantial amount as support for the Alex police station, and this year we managed to raise in excess of previous occasions.” The cheque was handed over to Colonel Terblanche, acting station commander, on the evening of the event.

The event attracts loyal sponsors again and again, and each year manages to draw more than the last.

This year, the golf day was attended by a number of highly esteemed guests, making the event a very special one indeed. Lieutenant General BC Mgwenya, deputy national police commissioner (acting national commissioner), was there to show her support, together with Lieutenant General LJ Mothiba, with whom Kable originally launched the project and Major General Susan Pienaar from HQ in Pretoria. Former and recently retired policing great, Major General “Bushy” Engelbrecht was also there to enjoy the day’s events, taking time out to present the prizes.

“The support we receive from our loyal sponsors as well as the policing community shows that people are really interested in making a positive difference to their communities,” concludes Kable.