PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - For the past 18 years, criminals shivered in their boots and communities breathed a sigh of relief when Warrant Officer John Nomdoe took on a case.
This response was warranted, as Plettenberg Bay’s ace detective boasts a 99% success rate.
His expertise will, however, be lost to Plett to some extent as the 56-year-old police offer embarks on retirement from 1 March.
“I am not completely giving up on my passion for justice and will be involved in private investigations and voice stress analyses from now on,” says Nomdoe.
He adds that he would not be leaving Plett as his heart belongs there. “From the first day I visited Plett, I said that one day I would like to retire here and I’ll be doing just that.”
Nomdoe was the man behind the scenes fighting for justice in many of Plettenberg Bay’s high profile cases. One these was the molestation and murder of six-year-old Steven Siebert over Christmas in 2005.
“This case will stay with me my entire life. It is always difficult when children are the victims of crime,” the father of three boys says about the cases that stood out for him over the almost 40 years of police service.
Theunis Olivier was convicted of the murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of the boy, who had been on holiday with his parents from Randburg at the time of his murder.
Nomdoe was the investigating officer and instrumental in Olivier’s arrest and conviction.
During his time as a police officer he was involved in about 35 high court cases – 15 of which were Plett-related.
Four decades of service
Nomdoe started his journey as a police officer 38 years ago in Athlone, Cape Town and soon joined the former serious and violent crimes unit.
When the unit was disbanded, Nomdoe decided to join the police in Plettenberg Bay in 2000, where he had been working until this week.
Although humble about his success, Nomdoe says his biggest asset had been the trust he formed with members of the community.
“People trusted me as I never broke that trust, and this helped me when trying to solve cases. In many instances, the public would come to me with useful information about a crime.”
For this, Nomdoe thanks residents of Plettenberg Bay. “Without you, this would not have been possible.”
About his reason for early retirement, Nomdoe says he has accomplished all he wanted to and feels there is no more room for promotion.
“The police have always treated me well and because of my job I have been able to travel across this country of ours.”
Retirement for him does not mean sitting back and relaxing, Nomdoe says. “I could never do that.”
He adds that he has done an extensive course on voice stress analysis and would be putting his skills to practice in the near future.
“This is similar to a polygraph test where you analyse someone’s voice. This is used, among others, for pre-employment purposes or when an employee is suspected of a crime.”
He also plans on doing private investigations. “But first, I’m going to take a month’s holiday.”
Nomdoe says his police work kept him fit and healthy. “I walked so much during my time as a detective. Because that will no longer be the case, I’ll probably have to join a gym.
"I’m not one for fishing or golf, so I will have to find other ways of keeping busy.”
Police spokesperson Captain Marlene Pieterse says they are sad to lose a “great detective” like Nomdoe.
“He has not only done an excellent job investigating his own cases, but he has been a mentor to some of the younger officers. They now have big shoes to fill.”
ARTICLE: YOLANDÉ STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD CORRESPONDENT
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