Nongqai Vol 17 No 9 – (29) Dep Nat Com Morgan Chetty
Excerpt
The early 1960s at SAP Wentworth shaped enduring friendships and memories — including the remarkable journey of Recruit-Constable Morgan Chetty, who would one day rise to Deputy National Commissioner.
Key Words (comma‑separated)
Wentworth Police College, Royal Navy complex, 1960s South African Police, Sten gun patrols, National Key Points, SAP Garage Wentworth, L/Sgt Morgan Chetty, L/Sgt Oupa Reynders, Karmann Ghia, W/O Odin Moorcroft, police training, Botswana police, Swaziland police, marked police vehicles, Recruit to Deputy National Commissioner
FROM RECRUIT TO DEPUTY NATIONAL COMMISSIONER
Hennie Heymans
As a young policeman at Wentworth in the early 1960s, each patrol vehicle carried a Sten gun locked in a small safe on the van’s floor. During night duty we had to visit various National Key Points, and we also stopped at the Wentworth Police College. It was here, one quiet night, that I first met L/Sgt Morgan Chetty on duty.
Mr Odin Moorcroft was the chief instructor at the college during my time there, and he was later transferred to Wentworth Police Station as our station commander. Not long afterwards I was posted from the station to the SAP Garage, situated just across from the college. I worked as a clerk doing administrative duties and stock control. I was never an “office Johnny”, and I loved walking around the large police complex. I often encountered L/Sgt Chetty, and we always exchanged friendly greetings.
Another memorable character was L/Sgt “Oupa” Reynders, an instructor at the college. We often chatted at his pride and joy — a beautiful red Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Oupa kept it spotless. He parked it in the college garage on four small carpets, and he maintained it with almost ceremonial care.
The Wentworth Camp itself was a vast former Royal Navy complex. It housed stables for police horses, numerous single quarters for young constables, a large number of married quarters, a dry goods canteen, a wet canteen, and a broad parade ground used for monthly drill. A few Saracens stood ready nearby. The district surgeon had his surgery there, and the district commandant’s office block included a post office known as PO Austerville. The commandant lived in a lovely house, while the rest stayed in simple bungalows.
The nearby Wentworth Hospital formed part of the old military complex dating back to the Second World War. On one occasion a police contingent from Botswana or Swaziland arrived to stay at the college. They wore full uniform — shorts with long socks and blue turnovers — and came to Durban Harbour to collect their special police vehicles. I must admit, I felt a pang of jealousy; we did not have marked police vehicles in those days.
Below is a photograph of Recruit-Constable Morgan Chetty — and another of him many years later as Deputy National Commissioner.
Note the shiny shoes!
Photos via Col Logan Govender
