For her decades of dedication to her sport and service to the community, police woman Sgt Rensia Willemse was awarded Sport Woman of the Year at the recent South African Police Service Western Cape Excellence Awards.
While not on her post behind the crime analysis desk at Kraaifontein police station she can be found next to the netball court playing, coaching or umpiring.
Taking up netball when she was only eight years old at Cavalleria Primary school in Scottsdene, Rensia says sport lifted her above her circumstances, something she now wants to do for the children of the same community with a netball club she started with her parents a few years ago.
Now a Western Province netball player, Rensia aims to help these children achieve the same she had.
“Sport has the power to uplift them from their bleak circumstances and keep them off the crime-ridden streets,” she says about the community club she often funds from her own purse.
After completing her school career at Bernadino Heights, she continued playing on club level for the Swallows netball club in Kraaifontein and soon got her WP colours.
After a two-year stint in the army, she joined the South African Police Service and in 2010 joined the police’s netball team, where she was chosen for the polices’s WP and national teams. Since then, Rensia has played for both provincial and national teams every year and continues to be involved with WP Netball with coaching and umpiring.
Love for the sport
“I eat, sleep and live netball,” she says proudly of “the sport that saved my life”.
After a full shift at the station, she changes her uniform for a netball dress and heads off to EL Shaddai School in Durbanville where she coaches the school teams.
From there she is off to Scottsdene where she coaches the nine teams at the community club to finally get home at 19:00 every night from Monday to Thursdays.
“But if you love something it is not an effort, and I love this sport that keeps me physically and mentally fit.”
Winning this award was a surprise of a lifetime, says Rentia.
“When they called out my name, I got a fright and froze up. I just couldn’t believe it, but feel honoured for being recognised.”
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais congratulated the winners saying “I am very proud of these police officers, who protect and serve our communities, and often go beyond the call of duty. They often have to work under difficult circumstances.
“Despite this, they embody the dedication and determination we wish to see in our law enforcement structures.”
The Minister added: “I salute the police officers who have been honoured.”
