Hearts around the country were touched after a JMPD Officer went out of his way to make sure a student with torn shoes got a brand-new pair. But, the story behind the special moment makes it all the more heartwarming:
Johannesburg, South Africa (10 July, 2023)—A renewed sense of hope rushed through Johannesburg in May after a kind JMPD Officer (Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department) stepped in to help a little scholar’s journey become softer.
Officer Thembelihle Mkosi became an 8-year-old student’s hero. As he helped people safely cross the street, he noticed the crossing student’s torn school shoes that left her essentially barefoot, and went out of his way to buy her a brand new pair the very next day!
However, the story behind Officer Mkosi’s kind act makes the moment even more heartwarming.
Hurt people hurt people, but healed people heal people. For Officer Mkosi, seeing the torn school shoes was a reminder of his own past and a time when he faced a similar footing, which is why he felt the need to make sure she got a new pair.
“I also had to walk to school barefoot. The young girl reminded me of my younger self. She had shoes on her feet, but it was as if she was walking barefoot because the back of the shoe was open,” he shared of his childhood in the Eastern Cape.
Officer Mkosi felt that the moment was a full-circle experience, and what he believes was ‘God’s Work’. Their story happened on the very first day he had directed traffic at the inner city’s Von Wielligh and Pritchard street corners. There, the early hours of morning traffic would allow someone silently struggling and a kind JMPD officer with great empathy to not only cross paths but help each other on their way.
For Officer Mkosi, the young scholar reminded him of where he came from and how he could use his empathy to help others. For the young student, the intersection reminded her that there are those who won’t turn the other cheek to help through tough times.
Officer Mkosi is a father of two boys and a girl and is known for his kindness and trustworthy nature throughout his unit.
“I am my name. It means a trustworthy person,” he shares.
Of his role as a peacemaker above being a police officer, he says:
“I love interacting with people and helping where I can.”
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