TOP COP’S LAST HURDLE
They weren’t there when he needed them, ex-wife says of police who flocked to funeral Nayager was on the last leg of his fight for reinstatement Rahul Dravid looks set to retire
ALL Glen Nayager wanted was for his name to be cleared and to be allowed to work again as a policeman. But it was not to be.
This week, the colonel died of a heart attack shortly after attending an arbitration hearing at Durban’s Elangeni Hotel, where he was attempting to clear himself of charges relating to alleged sexual harassment.
Now his grieving ex-wife, Niri, also a high-ranking police officer, who described Nayager as her idol, has vowed to take up his fight.
She and other relatives condemned the police force’s lastminute show of support at his funeral, saying it was too late and that the force had turned their backs on him when he needed them most.
On Friday, traffic came to a standstill around the Clare Estate Crematorium where Nayager, 50, was cremated – police helicopters circled the air while police patrols and escorts blockaded the area.
“Some in our family were perturbed at how various speakers were queuing to speak at his funeral, but were nowhere to be seen when he faced all those allegations and charges,” said Nayager’s uncle, Selvan Pillay.
“He was discharged from hospital last Sunday, but nothing could stop him from attending the hearing.
“His lawyer suggested that the hearing could be moved to another day, but Glen demanded that the case go ahead. He was determined to clear his name, just as he did with all the other accusations made against him,” said Pillay.
When a distraught Niri spoke to the Herald just before her former husband’s body arrived at his home in Bayview, Chatsworth, she was adamant the family would take up the fight to clear his name.
The couple, although divorced, remained together for the sake of their children.
“We will keep on fighting this case to clear his name. He would have wanted us to do this. He did nothing wrong. All he wanted was to be a policeman. He was dedicated to his work.
“He was a top cop, he was the best, he had no equivalent. That is why some people wanted to bring shame to his name with their untrue allegations,” said Niri.
Idol
“There are no other policemen like him and he was my idol. He lived for crime prevention. My husband preferred to be out in the field taking on criminals rather than sitting behind a desk.
“His death was so sudden. I never expected this to happen to him. He died calling out for his daughter. He was a hero of the people and a hero to his children. He lived for his children,” said an emotional Niri.
Merriska, Nayager’s daughter, had the hundreds of mourners at his funeral in tears when she spoke of her love for her father. She said she was proud to have the Nayager surname.
“To me you will always be a soldier, my life, my love and my strength. Your eyes sparkled when we were together. You taught me to stand up for what I believe in. You left a legacy, papa,” said a tearful Merriska.
Nayager’s attorney, Anand Nepaul, said he had known the man for five years – from the time the allegations were first levelled at him.
He said although they faced many challenges, they were successful in all they took on. Nepaul said this enquiry was the last hurdle in getting Nayager reinstated.
“Glen’s quest for fair play cost him his life. All the allegations were a plot and conspir- acy to oust him from the position he held at the Sydenham police station. He was proud to be a cop and taking him away was the thing that broke him eventually.
“All the witnesses in all the trials always maintained that Glen was an outstanding policeman,” said Nepaul.
Nicknamed “Rambo” for his gung-ho crime prevention methods, Nayager was the former station commander of the Sydenham police station.
Last year Nayager, the son of a former special branch police sergeant, was honoured for his 30 years of service to the force.
He was the first trained Indian dog handler and headed the Tourist Protection Unit as well as, most recently, the Cluster Crime Prevention Unit, where he commanded more than 20 stations.
These were listed among Nayager’s many achievements since he joined the force in 1981.
Speaking at the funeral, former provincial commissioner Hamilton Ngidi said: “Glen turned Sydenham police station from the worst-performing station in the province to one of the best. All the charges against Glen were made-up stories and they did not stand the test or scrutiny by trials of fact,” said Ngidi.
Inspector Collin Pillay of the Bayview SAPS said Nayager, who lived in the area all his life, was respected, especially for his no-nonsense approach to crime.
“Whenever people in his community became victims of crime, they would turn to Glen for assistance.
“And he was known to drop everything so that he could attend to their concerns,” said Pillay. RAHUL Dravid’s glorious international career may have come to an end on Friday, with the veteran cricketer likely to announce his retirement shortly.
The 39-year-old Dravid, one of the game’s greatest batsmen, is believed to have told some of his teammates after another failure against Australia in the final Test that he had decided to hang up his boots.
He has had a poor run in the current four-test series, with India likely to suffer another defeat to give Australia a clean sweep. He made 194 runs at an average of 24.25 in this series.
Dravid has already announced his retirement from one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
The elegant right-hander, nicknamed “The Wall” for his tough defence, is the second-highest run-getter in Test history, with 13 288 runs, behind only Sachin Tendulkar.
He has 36 Test centuries with a highest score of 270 and an average of 52.31.
Dravid has also taken more catches (210) than anyone else in Test history during his 164 Test matches, since he made his debut against England at Lord’s in 1996.
He captained India from December 2005 to August 2007.