A humble man who rose through the SAPS ranks
Morgan Chetty
WHILE Morgan Chetty was an outstanding family man and friend to many, he was also a mentor to thousands of policemen who took instructions from him.
Chetty, who was a highly decorated officer, and one of the most celebrated policemen the country has ever produced, died recently after a lengthy spell in hospital.
His funeral drew many dignitaries, including Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and former national police commissioner George Fivaz, both of whom spoke at the ceremony.
After 41 years of sterling service as a policeman, Chetty retired in 2001 as the the deputy national commissioner of police, having served alongside Fivaz.
His rank at retirement was lieutenant-general.
A notable decoration on the epaulettes of Chetty’s uniform were the silver stars usually handed only to exceptional policemen.
Former president Nelson Mandela presented that “excellence” award to Chetty in 1995.
When Chetty became Fivas’s deputy in 1994, he became the first and only South African Indian to achieve that rank.
His elevation into the country’s upper echelons of policing came on the back of his many years of disciplined, dedicated and refreshing approach to the service.
After completing the customary training at the old Wentworth Police Training College in Durban, he later took up an instructor’s position at the institute.
He became the college’s first non-white commander in 1982, and nearly a decade later, he made another groundbreaking move when he was called to the SAPS’s Pretoria headquarters.
By 1993, Chetty was elevated to Major-General and became the first Indian to achieve this status.
It was at a time when South Africa was undergoing political change and morphosizing into a democracy.
Because of the country’s divided past, there were 11 policing agencies.
It became Chetty’s task to transform and integrate all those into one unit, which eventually led to the formation of the SA Police Service (SAPS) as it stands.
Apart from being operations head, Chetty managed the community police division. Using the experience and knowledge he gained from numerous ambassadorial engagements, he went about getting communities to play a more active role in crime fighting.
This eventually led to the formation of community police forums.
“General Chetty introduced a new style of policing, which he picked up from his time in Singapore.
“He implemented a system of taking care of small things, which would lead to the bigger things taking care of themselves,” said Brigadier Reggie Marimuthu, a former student and long-time friend.
Marimuthu said the “silver star” badge and Chetty’s promotion to deputy national police commissioner were the result of his role as an agent of transformation.
“He always paid attention to detail,” remembered General Danny Pillay, who regarded Chetty as his mentor.
“He always encouraged policemen to listen to people when they approached for help, in that way, they would trust you more.”
Pillay is among the many policemen who were subjected to Chetty’s handling at the Wentworth college.
He first encountered Chetty as a student in 1974 and developed a close bond.
Pillay said Chetty was very professional, strict and meticulous about everything.
“As students, we would be in a lot of trouble if we were not neatly attired and wore shoes that didn’t shine.
“Punishment was running around the field at Wentworth. He would fool you into believing he was not watching, and if you stopped running, you would be in a lot more trouble,” recalled Pillay.
He said students went into college as boys but returned as men, adequately equipped for police work and life.
“Even our parents noticed the transformation of our lives,” said Pillay.
He said few people understood the stress and pressures of being a policeman better than Chetty, which inspired him to form a “SAPS holiday fund” in the 1990s.
“He got policemen to contribute R3 monthly towards buying timeshare at various holiday destinations.”
Pillay said Chetty was involved with the fund until his death. It was previously renamed the “Off-beat Holiday Club”, and had grown exponentially over the years. It has a membership of about 29 000.
“General Chetty was the club’s chairman and it grew to such an extent that it has full-time workers manning its operations.
“The club has been able to secure holidays at all prime locations around the country as well as overseas.
“Chetty was also a member of our cultural group, got involved with our activities and loved playing games of thunee, said Pillay
“I learnt a lot from General Chetty, he was my mentor. I will miss him.”
General Raj Ramsaroop Ramsroop was another policeman to have blossomed under Chetty’s guidance.
“General Chetty was well respected in police circles. He always tried his best and at meetings, General Chetty was usually the voice of reason.
“When he settled in Pretoria, he would often open the doors to his home to other policemen who relocated there,” Ramsroop said.
Chetty was born in Pietermaritzburg in July 1941. He was the eldest of six children.
His father earned a meagre wage as a shop assistant.
After he passed Standard 8 (Grade 10), Chetty had to drop out of school to find work.
His younger sister Tilsa remembered how Chetty would care for her and a twin sister, Thumbs.
“We did not have electricity at home. I remember how my brother would burn paper to light our coal stove so that he could warm the milk we drank,” Tilsa reminisced.
“He was a straight-laced guy and my parents idolised him.
“For the last 15 years he made it a family tradition to book all our siblings for a week-long holiday at Sun City, at his cost.
“Even when my sister fell ill with cancer, he would fly to Pietermaritzburg every weekend to visit her and on a weekday he would drive there, so that he could take groceries to her,” Tilsa said.
Chetty met his wife Indera through a relative.
“My cousin asked me to join them for a dinner and dance outing at a restaurant in the Durban harbour.
“I didn’t pay much attention to him then, but he was persistent. He befriended my brother who lived in Clairwood, and I got to know him when he visited there,” Indera revealed.
They lived in a flat in Merebank after they married at the Tamil Vedic Hall in December 1970.
Indera was a schoolteacher at St Anthony’s School in Durban.
Indera said ballroom dancing was one of their favourite pastimes and they often visited the Himalaya and the Island hotels for nights of dancing with family.
In 1982, she became the school’s deputy principal but when she got offered a job as a policewoman, she gladly swopped allegiances.
Indera became the first local Indian policewoman and, because of her criminology studies, she was posted as the head of the Women’s Police College, based in Cato Manor.
When Chetty was transferred to Pretoria in 1991, Idera relocated too.
She thought she would be placed at the College in Pretoria, but non-whites could not work there.
Instead, she lectured on leadership and motivation at an institution for senior officers.
While they worked for the same employer, Indera said she and her husband made it a point never to “talk shop” at home.
“My husband was dedicated to me and our two daughters. He would do anything to ensure our happiness.
“He was a humble man in spite of his standing in society.
“He was hospitalised in July, but I always believed he would be home before Christmas.”