Gordon’s Bay police officer flexes his muscles at bodybuilding championship

By day he serves and protects the residents of Gordon’s Bay; at night he works ton his physique to compete on provincial competition stages.

Meet Sergeant Jeremiah Naidoo, the operations commander at Gordon’s Bay Police Station, who placed third at the Western Cape Natural Bodybuilding Championships in Paarl on Saturday 9 August.

His achievement is commendable given he participated in his first competition in March. Naidoo will now represent Western Province at nationals in Gqeberha in October. “The goal was to get my WP colours; now that I’ve achieved it, I want to be selected for South Africa.”

The 36-year-old’s success on the competition stage comes only two years after being hospitalised as a result of diabetes.

“I want to become an ambassador for people with diabetes, to show them that if you controls yourself and take care of yourself, then you can achieve anything,” he shared.

The officer’s journey with diabetes started with his diagnosis while on holiday in Durban in 2015. The self-proclaimed “fitness freak” suddenly found himself confined to bed, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

This was followed by eight years of patent denial, continuing his lifestyle prior to his diagnosis. “There was not much control.”

But in 2023 his choices caught up with him when he was hospitalised with pneumonia in both lungs. Weighing only 50 kg when discharged, Naidoo realised he had to make some life-changing choices.

“I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘I cannot be that kind of example to my children or keep using diabetes as an excuse’,” he recalled.

Motivated by his two young sons, Naidoo embarked on a new physical regime and health journey; one that saw a complete transformation of his body. While at the gym, he met a 70-year-old bodybuilder who inspired him to take up the sport.

He has also taken a keen interest in others living with diabetes, like two of his sons young friends, aged five and nine. “I wanted to show these boys that the condition should not limit you – you can stil participate in sport.”