A heroic JMPD Sergeant rescued two little girls from the ledge of a building.
Johannesburg, South Africa (13 February 2022) – Acting sergeant Tebogo Mailula (33) was on patrol in Johannesburg CBD as part of BuyaMthetho along with three other male officers at approximately 1 pm yesterday, when they observed a crowd of people gathered outside a building at the corner of End Street and Lilian Ngoyi Street.
The officers could see two little girls walking on a ledge of the third floor of a building where the crowd was, with a member of the public trying to reach out to them from another ledge of a lower floor.
Acting Sergeant Mailula acted very swiftly and proceeded into the building. He went to the flat of the open window on the third floor, but he found it locked.
The officers got the caretaker of the building to quickly unlock three flats on the third floor, which helped them reach the little girls aged 2 and 5 years old. With the assistance of a public member who climbed a street light pole from the ground floor.
The officers discovered that the mother had left the girls sleeping inside the flat to go to a butcher. The girls woke up and realised they were alone and climbed out of an open window. The mother was surprised to see officers at her flat on her return.
Acting Sergeant Mailula handed over the little girls to the children’s mother.
MMC for Safety in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr David Tembe has commended Sergeant Mailula and said, “Acting Sergeant Mailula has today saved the lives of two little girls. I commend him for his swift action and bravery, for having requested the caretaker to unlock doors for him to reach the little girls who were shaking and crying on a ledge of a building from which they could easily have fallen and possibly died “
Acting Sergeant Mailula was also shaking after he rescued the girls and had to sit down to calm his nerves.