Tasked with combating some of the deadliest crimes, JMPD K9 officer Muaath Maharaj says every day, he makes sure he leaves the house on good terms with his family in case he doesn’t come home alive.
Johannesburg, South Africa (13 February 2023) – His line of work is “fast, dangerous and unpredictable”. This is how Muaath Maharaj, a K9 unit officer for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police (JMPD), sums up his work. Muaath was dubbed ‘Joburg’s toughest cop’ in 2018 by a news platform and shortly an enthralling video of him chasing bad guys went viral.
He responds to serious crimes such as drug busts, house and business robberies, hijackings, ATM bombings, cash and transit robberies.
Muaath says the unpredictable nature of his job doesn’t allow him to plan his day and every day comes with danger.
“You can never say what will happen. That’s why you have to pray when you leave your house and pray when you get home safe,” Muaath says in the boardroom at the JMPD Academy in Selby during an interview.
He is wearing jeans, takkies and a jacket and is making himself comfortable in the chair. Before the interview, he had just returned after arresting a suspect with two plastic bags of dagga in Diepkloof, Soweto.
Muaath always wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement.
“Since a young age, I’ve always had a passion to become a JMPD officer. I always saw myself one day doing this job,” Muaath says cheerfully.
He grew up in Eldorado Park and now resides in Bosmont. After he matriculated, he first wanted to secure an education by studying mechanic engineering at Johannesburg Technical College. Shortly thereafter he started a small business, but he could not resist the relentless urge to join the JMPD.
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Cape Town Kayakers Rescue Starving African Penguin Far Out to SeaHis first application to the JMPD in 2004 at the age of 24 was unsuccessful. But the following year he was accepted. He completed the six months theoretical training course with flying colours and afterwards he was sent to Yeoville police station for six months of on-the-job training. At the end of 2006, he joined the K9 unit and quickly became a sought-after dog handler and respected officer.
His current dog partner, Emma, a German Pointer, is fond of him. Emma, a narcotics dog, was assigned to him in 2018 after his previous dog fell ill. The bond between them is inseparable. After the interview, the two played on a field at the academy. Emma runs excitedly to Muaath and when he throws her favourite ball, she speeds over to fetch it and runs back to Muaath.
Muaath is thankful for a dog patrol course that helped him better understand and connect with dogs. He is also proud to have been part of a course in explosives and in 2017 he was sent to Roodeplaat to do a national certificate in narcotics.
“The type of discipline can’t be bought.”
Although he has been described as the “toughest cop” in Joburg, Muaath remains modest. “I think ‘toughest’ is a bit a heavy word to use. There are other police officers out there doing the same type of work that I’m doing and I salute them.”
Muaath considers his “fast, dangerous and unpredictable” job a calling. It gives him the ability to protect the residents of the city.
“We try to go the extra mile. We’re not scared to do this job,” he says.
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