In 1986, during the height of apartheid-era unrest (state of emergency period with widespread township protests, strikes, and violence), Riot and Crowd Control Instructors from the SAP’s Maleoskop (Maloekop) training facility traveled to the Cato Manor Training College in Durban. They conducted specialized training for local South African Police (SAP) members on riot control and crowd management techniques.
Cato Manor (also known as Mkhumbane) was a historically volatile, multiracial area with a long history of tensions, forced removals under the Group Areas Act, and earlier riots (notably 1959–1960). By the 1980s, it remained a site of policing challenges amid broader anti-apartheid resistance.
The post features a group photo of trainees and instructors, with captions identifying participants. It has been widely shared in groups like “Police Legends,” “The Kings of Durban,” and Chatsworth memory pages as a nostalgic piece of SAP history.
Photo Details (from the post)
- Seated on ground (front): Unidentified
- Front row seated (L-R): Unidentified; Danny Pillay; Indera Chetty; Morgan Chetty; Unidentified; Unidentified
- Standing rear row (L-R): Dave Naidoo; NG Govender; Unidentified; J Naidoo; Unidentified; R Ellappan; Unidentified; R Naidoo; P Subbiah
- Instructors from Maleoskop (marked as unidentified in the main caption; names added in comments): Sgt Pieter Smit, W/Off Schlechter, Lt Pieterse, W/Off Patrick Jonker, Sgt Bezuidenhout (or Gary Hawyes in some comments), Sgt Barney Klein, Sgt Graeme Bawden, and others like L/Sgt Gerald Boucher (RIP).
One commenter (a participant) noted: “I Was On That Course…!” and recalled it positively.
Historical Background
- Cato Manor had a turbulent past, including the 1959 women’s protests against beer halls and the 24 January 1960 incident where a police liquor raid led to a mob killing nine officers.
- By the mid-1980s, the area was still associated with policing, training, and urban tensions under apartheid. Training like this prepared officers for managing protests and crowds during a period of intense political conflict.
- Maleoskop was a key SAP facility for specialized riot/crowd control training.
