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Funeral of Superintendent B. Tom
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Safety Liaison and Transport

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

SPEECH BY THE MEC FOR PROVINCIAL SAFETY, LIAISON AND TRANSPORT

AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT B. TOM - HEAD OF GOVERNMENT FRAUD AND COMMERCIAL CRIME UNIT

04 SEPTEMBER 1999



Introduction

Members and Relatives of the Tom Family;
 The bereaved;
 The management of the SAPS;
 Members of the SAPS;
 Elders, community leaders;
 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Today, is a sad day for the Tom family and the Department for Safety and Security, at large as we, together, are about to lay to rest a 
gallant fighter who was not only a pillar of this family but also one of the outstanding pillars in our department. Whilst this is a sad 
day indeed, it is also a day that we should turn ironically into a day of joy because this man has passed the last hurdle in his lifetime, 
having made his contribution to ensuring that there is change in the lives of our people. Through his police work, fighting crime with 
concentration on fraud and corruption, this man has made his mark as an asset in the SAPS. We should be happy about that and pride 
ourselves of having produced as a province, a dedicated, loyal and honest figure who would never call a spade a fork, but would call a 
spade a spade.

This is a man who was open, diplomatic and yet uncompromising in his work because he took his responsibilities like a calling and not a 
mere job, hence, he was even prepared to sacrifice his time for his family, to complete his work. Our department is still recovering from 
the shock caused by the sudden departure of this colleague. We are short of words to describe how this has affected us and we are 
determined to ensure that he does not remain a mere statistic of casualties but that his name is written amongst those that sacrificed and 
contributed to fighting for a better life for our people, a life free of fraud and corruption.

I wish to emphasise once again that this man was an asset to the department, hence, we have been devastated by this unexpected call. Life 
is unpredictable as it will take away those that are hard working and productive in society, thus, leaving us with limited options to fill 
the gap of such dedicated and gallant fighters. It must be said however that life always has answers to questions and we should not be in 
contempt with it. The man we are burying today, was very talented, brave, outstanding, heroic but yet friendly. He was an example of a true 
and dedicated police man, who put the interests of our people first and also above his own, something which is very rare in our police 
service, hence, his death is a serious blow to our department, our government and the people of the Eastern Cape at large.

I am not here to glorify or sing praises for this man but I am here to pay my last tributes and tell our communities and perhaps those did 
not know him, the true and rare qualities that he possessed. I wish to highlight the work of Supt. Tom in his crusade against corruption 
and fraud. He has succeeded in unearthing a wide range of cases of this nature, which cost our government as well as businesses millions of 
rands.

These were challenging cases that no ordinary police member could tackle unless he / she possessed cunning, intellectual and flexible 
ideas, as possessed by this man. He was a police man who would combine his experience gained in the Department of Justice, prior to his 
transfer to the police ranks in 1990, with his investigation skills so that he leaves no stoned unturned and no loophole in reaching the 
successful conclusion of his cases. His service record and work profile shows that he was a man of intellectual talents, having worked in 
the Justice Department, subsequently being transferred to the police ranks and also being attached to the Legal Services sub- component in 
the East London Area Commissioner’s Office, is a living testimony that has led to his rise through the various ranks of the police.

He was a type of a police man who would not keep silent when faced with a workload of cases but with limited resources that would not 
enable him to dispose of such cases.

He indeed would be vocal against this solely because he did not want to be rendered incompetent. This is the kind of honesty he displayed 
in the performance of his duties as he always wanted to perfect his duties, hence, he went to the extremes such as sacrificing his time for 
his family.

Because of his display and demonstration of hard work, honesty, dedication, loyalty and his belief in team work, the department saw it fit 
that he be appointed on a temporary basis to head a special fraud and commercial crime unit based in Bisho. This was indeed a well 
calculated and wise decision by our department, as we were witnesses to the successes that this man had achieved in the performance of his 
duties and the enormous intellectual talent he had.

We wish therefore to make a call to all other dedicated police members, men and women, alike, to emulate this man. We wish to encourage 
them to pick up the spear that he has left and continue with his work of ridding our society as well as the police service of corrupt and 
disloyal elements who are selling our government and our people at large to criminals. Crime does not pay but honesty and loyalty, as a 
police member like this man, yields positive dividends and bears fruitful results.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have lost a friend, a comrade, a patriot, a martyr, a soldier and an intellectual with many talents. To all 
friends and colleagues, we wish to say let us keep the spirit of this man alive by emulating him and have him always in our memories as one 
of the best police men we have ever had in our country. To his family and relatives, we wish to pledge our solidarity and sympathy at this 
difficult point in time and assure you of our support so that you are able to overcome the challenges that have been presented by this 
sudden loss of your beloved one. Let us bury this man with full colours and honour him with the dignity and respect he deserves. He was 
bright and shining star. Hamba kahle Gokra lama Gokra, wena obungoyiki ngokoyikiswa, sohlala sikukhumbula kwelo khaya lakho lokugqibela.

I thank you

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