Community mourns Durban North officer’s passing

COMMUNITY members, family, friends and members of the Durban North SAPS are mourning the loss of warrant officer Sagie Padayachee who passed away last weekend from natural causes.

Metro Police as well as members from the station lined the street outside the Faith Revival Church in Phoenix to pay tribute to Padayachee at his funeral. Speaking to Northglen News, Capt Raymond Deokaran, gave a solemn tribute to Padayachee.

“Our hearts are broken and his passing hasn’t sunk in for the members as he was always a constant force within the Durban North police station. His family are very sad and this has been a really difficult time for them. Sagie always had a smile on his face even when the situation was tough. We’re all family here at the station so to lose an officer of his pedigree is like losing a brother,” he said.

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The station will be hosting a memorial for Padaychee next Thursday at the Durban North Baptist Church for the members of the station who could not make the funeral.

Haden Searles, chairman of the Durban North/Umhlanga Community Policing Forum (CPF), echoed Deokaran’s sentiments saying Padayachee’s passing was not only a loss to the station but to the north Durban community as well.

“I think the amount of people who turned out to pay their last respects to Paggy (as we affectionately referred to him as) was testament to the character of the man. He was well-loved, well-respected and was a great police officer. He was a gentleman, a man of peace and always, I mean always had a smile on his face despite tough circumstances. It’s difficult for the CPF family to see the station mourning and in pain. I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to his family and friends and we mourn with them over his passing,” he said.

Padayachee was cremated at a ceremony in Phoenix earlier this week.

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