Cape Town: The Traffic Officer – Boy Makutu has been recognised as the Safety and Security Officer of the Year at the annual awards. He had an eventful year and was honoured for his fearlessness. Makutu was one of many award recipients as the Directorate tipped its hat to staff and the Law Enforcement volunteers.
Reportedly, the Safety and Security Directorate celebrated staff at its annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Dec 18, 2025 and included the categories such as Outstanding Service, Supervisor of the Year, Department Officer of the Year and Directorate Officer of the Year – which went to Traffic Officer, Boy Makutu.
Considering his achievements, Makutu made 29 arrests between November 2024 and September this year and went viral during two of those instances.
In September, he kept his cool when faced with a belligerent drunk driver on the N1 outbound near Durban Road, and in July, he was captured on video, literally hanging on to a taxi, in his bid to arrest the driver for drunk driving and failing to comply with a lawful instruction.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith eulogised Officer Makutu and that he embodies the very essence of Safety and Security.
Smith added that he serves with dedication and humility, and while he is very soft-spoken, his service record shows that he is a force to be reckoned with. He commended Makutu and every other member and volunteer acknowledged at the awards events in the past week.
While Smith and his team pause to tip the hats to those nominated, they also extended their sincere appreciation to the thousands of others in the Directorate who show up for their communities day after day, often at great personal cost and sacrifice.
Other Departmental Officers who were recognised at the Safety and Security Officer of the Year included:
- Ashwin Maxim for Disaster Risk Management Centre
- Kim Van Zyl for Fire and Rescue Services
- Rene Mostert for Public Emergency Communication Centre
- Cassidy Bock for Metro Police
- Deon Philander for Law Enforcement
Notably, the Metro Police walked off with the Department of the Year honours.
On Saturday, December 20, 2025 the Law Enforcement Auxiliary Awards recognised excellence in a number of categories including outstanding service, performance excellence, long service and the officer with the highest number of hours served. This award went to Grant Adams, who clocked a whopping 765 hours this year.
Gerhard Engelbrecht walked away with the Volunteer Officer of the Year honour for his contribution to the Rural Auxiliary Unit, but also his consistent dedication and commitment to the uniform, having completed 4,310 hours of service over a 70-month period, averaging 61 hours per month.