Bhisho police commander left an indelible mark
A police memorial service will be held on Wednesday at the All Saints Police Academy in Bhisho for the commander of the Bhisho police station’s visible policing unit, LieutenantColonel Siphiwo Dastile, 56.
Dastile, the reverend of the Zion Christian Church in Mthatha, died in a car accident on January 31 outside Butterworth. His teacher wife, Nomonde Dastile, 50, said her husband of 25 years was driving home to Qunu village outside Mthatha when he was involved in a head-on collision.
Nomonde said they were due to celebrate their 25-year wedding anniversary in March.
“He was loving and had compassion for everyone.
“He loved me and our children. He was a straight talker. That was one of his best qualities.”
The couple met on January 1 1992 at Dwesa beach on the coast of Willowvale and married the same month.
Dastile and Nomonde were blessed with three sons – Masithembe, 27, Viwe, 21, Awonke, 11 – and a daughter, Qaqamba, 13.
Nomonde said the tragedy had left Dastile’s father, Nzameko, 84, devastated.
He also leaves behind six brothers and three sisters.
He will be laid to rest at his ancestral home in Qunu on Saturday.
Dastile joined SAPS on July 4 1984 as a young constable at Kei Bridge police station.
He later moved to Mthatha in September 1989 where he assumed a role as a shift commander at Mthatha Central police station.
Dastile held many roles during his illustrious career as a policeman.
Between 2007 and 2013, he worked as a shift commander at the Cradock police station mainly overseeing crime prevention operations.
Between 2013 and 2016, he became a court commander.
Dastile held a bachelor of arts degree in police science and an honours degree in criminology from the University of Transkei.
He was also the shop steward for the SA Police Union (Sapu) between 1997 and 2000. In 2000, he was promoted to a secretary position until 2002.
He was also a national executive committee member of the Police Music and Cultural Association from 2009 to 2012.