Vijiam bids Bellair SAPS farewell
Bellair SAPS' Communications Officer, Derek Vijiam will now hold office at Montclair SAPS as he says goodbye to his Bellair family at the end of the month.
GRATITUDE and wisdom are among the best things Bellair SAPS’ Communications Officer, W/O Derek Vijiam, says he will leave the police station with. Vijiam has been promoted to Lieutenant and with the ranks, comes new tasks. “I have worked well with the community, everybody has shown me respect, even the criminals. I’d phone them and ask for them to see me at the police station and they would do just that,” he said.
Vijiam will hold office at Montclair SAPS as he says goodbye to his Bellair family at the end of the month. “I’m sad to leave Bellair, I feel like I’ve gotten on well with the people here and I’ve enjoyed working with the schools, community organisations, my colleagues and everybody I’ve encountered during my stay here,” he said. Although his departure might be bittersweet, Vijiam said he is grateful for his new position. “I’m grateful to God for this post. He has taken care of me and I have no doubt that He will be with me in my new journey,” he said.
Vijiam joined the Bellair SAPS in 1980, he then was deployed to the Pinetown District for two years and returned to the Bellair station where he has been his entire career. He joined the force as a student, studying every now and then and obtaining qualifications in policing. “I came here as just a student and I’ve served under every department in this police station. I’ve been through the leadership of a lot of station commanders and I learned a lot but communications is my forté,” he said.
Ministry, boxing and soccer are among his passions. “Some people wait a lifetime to do everything, I am grateful that I’ve done all the things I enjoy doing. I’ve played sports competitively. In boxing I fought the world champion. I owe my father everything, he was the one who encouraged me most in life,” he said.
“I will miss all the people I worked closely with. I wish our outgoing station commander, Lt-Col Lionel Pillay, a very happy retirement and wish the new station commander, Lt-Col Goodness Bongi Mkhize all the best in her appointment as well as Const Shelatarabi Raghoonandan all the best as a branch commander with Lamontville SAPS,” he said.
