Coaching in the South Africa Police Services: a practical theological study of the Soweto East cluster and its satellites

Abstract

This study was driven by an observation by the Chaplain’s office in the Soweto East Cluster and its satellites for the need of a practical theological coaching intervention between the SAPS management and officers on the ground. The coaching intervention mentioned above would be focused largely on the challenge of the mental anxiety caused by the nature of work carried out by the SAPS in relation to its intentions to make the nation a more safe and secure environment for the citizens of South Africa. Naturally, the men and women who staff the SAPS are as human as the rest of us and therefore their state of mental health must not be separated from the rest of the nation. While the intervention is seen as necessary, it is not a replacement of other highly specialised interventions within the SAPS; it must be considered as complementary in the context of a socio- scientifically informed Practical Theology. The Zenith of Its contribution is therefore an attempt to harness the spirituality of officers in concurrence with the psychological and emotional aspects of their work. The study proceeds from the assumption, ‘no work unit is an island,’ thus, it argues for a dynamic synthesis of a practical-theological and psychological interaction of resources in the context of a systems thinking framework. While there are no rigid patterns in the dynamic work of the SAPS, an informed coaching mechanism will provide an informed theoretical synthesis for a robust on-the-ground decision-making process when urgently called upon. This study contends that, this is a paradigm shift from the traditional patterns of top-down management that so often lead to crises situations. The Chaplain’s office is seen as a strategic partner in this initiative given its non-threatening placement within the SAPS systems of work in relation to highly specialised services.

Hierdie studie was gedryf deur n waarneming by die kapelaan se kantoor in die Soweto Oos area en die satelliet kantore vir 'n behoefte van n praktiese teologiese afrigters intervensie tussen die SAPS bestuur en offisiere op grond vlak. Die afrigters ingryping bo genome, sal grotendeels fokus op die uitdaging van geestelike angstigheid veroorsaak deur die omvang van die werk wat gedoen word deur SAPD in verwantskap met die bedoeling om vir die nasie n veilige en beskermde omgewing te skep vir all inwoners van Suid Afrika. Die mans en dames is natuurlik net menslik soos die res van ons en daarom kan hulle geestelike gesondheid nie geskei word van die res van die nasie nie. Terwyl die ingryping noodsaaklik is is dit nie 'n vervanging van ander hoogs gespesialiseerde intervensies in die SAPD nie. Dit moet beskou word as 'n bydraende faktor in die konteks van wetenskaplike praktiese teologie. Die impak van die bydra is dus 'n poging om die geestelike welstand van offisiere te beheer in samewerking met die psigologiese en emosionele aspekte van hulle werk. Die studie beweeg van uit die aanname dat geen werk 'n eiland is nie. Dit argumenteer dat dinamiese samewerking van praktiese en psigologiese interaksie van bronne in die konteks van 'n system denke raamwerk. Terwyl daar geen vasgelêde patrone is in die dinamiese werk van die SAPD nie, sal 'n ingeligte afrigters meganisme help om n ingeligte teoretiese sintese vir 'n ernstige grond vlak besluitnemings proses te hê wanneer dit gevra word. Hierdie studie gaan van die veronderstellings dat n paridigma skuif geneem word van die tradisionele patrone van bestuur van bo na onder wat meestal lei tot krieses bestuur. Die kapelaan se kantoor word gesien as a strategiese vennoot in hierdie initiatief siende dat dit nie intimiderend geplaas is binne die SAPS systeem van werk in verhouding met hoogs gespesialiseerde dienste.

Lolu cwaningo lwasungulwa emveni kokuthi ihovisi likaChaplain elikwisifunda sase Mpumalanga ne Soweto laqaphela ukuthi abasebenzi abangamaphoyisa badinga usizo ngokwesimo somqondo-nkolo kuwo wonke amazinga okusebenza. Lokhu kususwa yimiqondo-simo ababa kuyona njalo uma bebhekana nezinselelo zomsebenzi wabo ezibhekene nokuphephisa isizwe. Lolu sizo abaludingayo kumele lubhekane nokuthi nabo bangabantu njengabo bonke abantu. Loluhlelo alubukeli phansi ezinye izinhlelo ezikhona embuthweni wamaphoyisa kodwa luzama ukuncedisana nazo zonke ezinye izinhlelo ezihlose ukulekelela isimo mqondo sabasebenzi bokuvikela umphakathi. Lengxenye yohlelo ibheke kakhulu ekulungiseni isimo somqondo ngakwezomoya. Loluhlelo lukulungele ukubheka wonke amacala esimo mqondo ngokwesimo sempilo, isimo sokholo kanye nayo yonke eminye imixhantela ebukeka inomthelela ekulungiseni noma ekukhuliseni impilo-mqondo yamaphoyisa. Lobu budlelwano bubukeka buhlukile kunalobu obujwayelekile ngoba buvula amathuba okuthi amaphoyisa abe yingxenye yohlelo olungawasiza abe engaphoqelekile ukuba yingxenye yalolohlelo. Ngokuthi ihovisi likaChaplain alikhethi macala yingakho lobuhlobo bubukeka sengathi bungaba nemiphumela emihle kunezinye ezike zabakhona ngaphambilini.

Dyondzo leyi yi hlohloteriwe hi leswi nga lemukiwa hi hofisi ya Mufundhisi-Wa-Maphorisa eka muganga wa Soweto-Vuxa ni swiyenge leswi va tirhisanaka na swona, va vona ku pfumaleka ka nghenelo-mpfuneto wa vudzaberi lebyi nga ni dyondzo yo khomeka ya ntivo-vukwembu exikarhi ka vufambisi bya vukorhokeri bya xiphorisa bya Afrika-Dzonga ni maphorisa entirhweni. Vudzaberi lebyi hlayiweke laha henhla a byi ta va byo xiyisisa hi vuenti ntlhontlho wa ku karhateka ka miehleketo loku vangiwaka hi muxaka wa ntirho wa xiphorisa mayelana ni ku tiyimisela ka xona ku pfuneta ku vumba rixaka leri hlayisekeke, leri nga ni ntshamiseko. Hambi leswi vudzaberi lebyi byi nga bya nkoka, a byi fanelanga ku bakanyela e tlhelo ni ku teka ndhawu ya mimpfuneto yin'wana leyo hlawuleka leyi se yi nga ku tirheni exiphoriseni, kambe byi fanele ku voniwa tanihi ndlela yo seketela hi ku languta hi ku katsakanya dyondzo yo khomeka ya Ntivo-vukwembu leyi nga ni risima hi ku languta ntshamo wa vutomi lowu tiyisisiweke hi vumbhoni bya xisayense. Xikongomelo-nkulu xa mpfuneto lowu i ku ringeta ku tiyisa vutomi bya ximoya bya maphorisa hi ku tirhisana ni miehleketo na ku titwa ka vona entirhweni. Dyondzo leyi yi pfelela eka ku teka tanihi ntiyiso ntshaho lowu nge 'ku hava xiphemu xa ntirho lexo kotisa xihlala ku tiyimela xoxe', hi ndlela leyi, ntshaho lowu wu koxa leswaku ku va ni ku katsakanya swiyenge swo hambana hambana. Hambi leswi ku nga ri ki ni mikhuva yo nonohela ncinco exiphoriseni, ndlela ya vudzaberi lebyi fambisanaka ni vutivi yi ta tisa matirhelo ya vutlhari yo pfuneta ku teka swiboho leswi vupfeke loko ku va ni xilaveko xa sweswo. Dyondzo leyi yi ri xikolo-kolo leswi i ku cinca lokukulu ni ku dzuvula ku huma eka mikhuva ya xikhale ya muxaka wa vufambisi byo kombetela hi tintiho, swi nga swona leswi vangaka swiyimo swa mintlimbo ni nkelunkelu. Hofisi ya Mufundhisi-Wa-Maphorisa yi voniwa tanihi mukondleteri wa nkoka eka xipimanyeto lexi hi ku ya hi ndzima leyi boxiwaka hi hofisi leyi hi ku pfumala nxungeto eka matirhelo ya xiphorisa ya vukorhokeri byo hlawuleka ni bya risima.