Police
violence, terror
against innocent civilians soaring: IPID has 5000 complaints this year:
including assaults of Ashton Pool, Gerald Carey, murder of Gopolang Ngobeni
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1196
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Police
violence, terror
against innocent civilians soaring: IPID has 5000 complaints this year:
including assaults of Ashton Pool, Gerald Carey, murder of Gopolang Ngobeni
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1196
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Police
violence, terror
against innocent civilians soaring: IPID has 5000 complaints this year:
including assaults of Ashton Pool, Gerald Carey, murder of Gopolang Ngobeni
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1196
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Police
violence, terror
against innocent civilians soaring: IPID has 5000 complaints this year:
including assaults of Ashton Pool, Gerald Carey, murder of Gopolang Ngobeni
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1196
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Police
violence, terror
against innocent civilians soaring: IPID has 5000 complaints this year:
including assaults of Ashton Pool, Gerald Carey, murder of Gopolang Ngobeni
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1196
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Eight armed black males in police uniforms with marked cars attack Monia
family Meyer Street Middelburg
0220
04:03 Jul 25 2013 Middelburg,
South Africa
Description
Eight armed black males in
police uniform attack the Monia family in Meyer Street, Middelburg South Africa
25 July 2013
A group of eight black men in Police uniforms and driving in MARKED SAPS vehicles attacked the home of Mr Muhammed Suliman Monia on Meyer STreet early Thursday morning July 25 2013. According to owner of the house, Mr Muhammed Suliman Monia, the men arrived outside his home in two white Golf GTi vehicles - one of them plastered with SAPS markings. They drove into the yard as soon as the electronic controlled gate was opened to allow a member of the household into the property.
“They banged on the door and said it was the Police. Just as the door was opened they barged their way into the house, claiming that they were searching for drugs and received a tip-off that we’re money laundering. It was outrageous,” said Mr Monia.They were tied up with cable ties as the suspects ransacked the household, searching for any items of value. They stole mostly electronic items, including laptops.The CCTV systems was entirely disconnected, and the recording was also stolen.“The men were professionals. They carried themselves very expertly and knew what they were looking for. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were really Policemen. They were fearless,” said Mr Monia.At the time of going to print, Middelburg SAPS detectives were on the scene taking statements and looking for clues. http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/middelburg/middelburg-mobile-news?oid=7648587&sn=Mobile-Detail&pid=4979984&Armed--policemen--rob-household
A group of eight black men in Police uniforms and driving in MARKED SAPS vehicles attacked the home of Mr Muhammed Suliman Monia on Meyer STreet early Thursday morning July 25 2013. According to owner of the house, Mr Muhammed Suliman Monia, the men arrived outside his home in two white Golf GTi vehicles - one of them plastered with SAPS markings. They drove into the yard as soon as the electronic controlled gate was opened to allow a member of the household into the property.
“They banged on the door and said it was the Police. Just as the door was opened they barged their way into the house, claiming that they were searching for drugs and received a tip-off that we’re money laundering. It was outrageous,” said Mr Monia.They were tied up with cable ties as the suspects ransacked the household, searching for any items of value. They stole mostly electronic items, including laptops.The CCTV systems was entirely disconnected, and the recording was also stolen.“The men were professionals. They carried themselves very expertly and knew what they were looking for. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were really Policemen. They were fearless,” said Mr Monia.At the time of going to print, Middelburg SAPS detectives were on the scene taking statements and looking for clues. http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/middelburg/middelburg-mobile-news?oid=7648587&sn=Mobile-Detail&pid=4979984&Armed--policemen--rob-household
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Chilling
expose of road-murder on KZN restaurateur Leanne Douglas: chased off-road by five
policemen in 3 cars: dies in bullet-riddled car
01210
18:41 Sep 25 2013 Umkomaas,
South Africa
Discription
Death of unarmed restaurateur
Leanne Douglas: ’Mom, cops are shooting at me’ --
-----------------
"Mom They Are Killing Me": the death of Leanne Douglas. By JEFF WICKS AND CHARMEL PAYET - SUNDAY TRIBUNELeonie Lukin with pictures of her daughter, Leanne Douglas, who died in a police car chase. Photo: BONGANI MBATHA --
--
Durban - Chilling revelations have emerged about the killing of Leanne Douglas, a 45-year-old Port Shepstone woman who died after police opened fire on her car on the N2 near eMkhomazi (Umkomaas) last Sunday.
She was chased off the road by five policemen in three cars. This week, as details of the bizarre shooting emerged, her mother claimed she was murdered and others have come forward and alleged police attempted a cover-up.
Why the police were pursuing Douglas in her little Chevy Spark, and decided to “shoot her off the road”, remains a mystery that is the subject of a probe by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Her devastated mother, Leonie Lukin, is convinced her daughter was murdered. “The police murdered my daughter. Whether she died from the bullets being shot at the car, or that the speed caused her to crash, they are responsible for her murder and don’t deserve to be police officers,” she said on Saturday.
Investigations revealed the Port Shepstone restaurateur had repeatedly clashed with police in the town where she owned the Red Rooster.Moments before she died, Douglas called her mother in a panic while driving north on the N2 towards Durban at about 7pm. “‘Mom, they are shooting at me,” were the last words she spoke to her mother, who heard a commotion in the background.
Lukin, 72, says she established that her daughter was racing to her home on the Berea in Durban as she was being pursued by the police and refused to stop because she was afraid of them.
“I told her not to stop. I told her to drive to the nearest police station,” she said on Saturday.This week the Sunday Tribune ascertained that five policemen in three cars were chasing Douglas. Initially she was being followed by an unmarked police car, a VW Golf, for almost 60km before two marked SAPS cars joined the chase. About five minutes later and just before the eMkhomazi off-ramp, the police opened fire, shooting at the tyres of Douglas’s Spark.
Her car careered across the highway and landed on the southbound carriage way. The car rolled repeatedly and Douglas was flung out.Police insiders said that in the moments before her death, as she lay near the crumpled remains of her car, she begged officers for help and reached out, clutching the boot of one policeman who stood over her. She made a pleading call for help and died minutes later as police involved in the chase allegedly hatched a plot to cover up the shooting. Paramedics arrived nearly half an hour later.
In that time her car was said to have been dragged up the road by a towing company owned by a relative of one of the officers involved.eMkhomazi tow-truck driver David Mackenzie said that he listened to the chase play out on his two-way radio. He heard the voice of senior shift officer, Warrant Officer Logan Naidoo, who was in charge.
“I was listening to how they were in pursuit of the vehicle and I heard Naidoo’s voice come over the air saying he was joining the chase. Officers broadcast that the road had been closed up ahead and all of a sudden they came over saying the car had crashed. No one said a word about the shooting,” he said.
-----------------
"Mom They Are Killing Me": the death of Leanne Douglas. By JEFF WICKS AND CHARMEL PAYET - SUNDAY TRIBUNELeonie Lukin with pictures of her daughter, Leanne Douglas, who died in a police car chase. Photo: BONGANI MBATHA --
--
Durban - Chilling revelations have emerged about the killing of Leanne Douglas, a 45-year-old Port Shepstone woman who died after police opened fire on her car on the N2 near eMkhomazi (Umkomaas) last Sunday.
She was chased off the road by five policemen in three cars. This week, as details of the bizarre shooting emerged, her mother claimed she was murdered and others have come forward and alleged police attempted a cover-up.
Why the police were pursuing Douglas in her little Chevy Spark, and decided to “shoot her off the road”, remains a mystery that is the subject of a probe by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Her devastated mother, Leonie Lukin, is convinced her daughter was murdered. “The police murdered my daughter. Whether she died from the bullets being shot at the car, or that the speed caused her to crash, they are responsible for her murder and don’t deserve to be police officers,” she said on Saturday.
Investigations revealed the Port Shepstone restaurateur had repeatedly clashed with police in the town where she owned the Red Rooster.Moments before she died, Douglas called her mother in a panic while driving north on the N2 towards Durban at about 7pm. “‘Mom, they are shooting at me,” were the last words she spoke to her mother, who heard a commotion in the background.
Lukin, 72, says she established that her daughter was racing to her home on the Berea in Durban as she was being pursued by the police and refused to stop because she was afraid of them.
“I told her not to stop. I told her to drive to the nearest police station,” she said on Saturday.This week the Sunday Tribune ascertained that five policemen in three cars were chasing Douglas. Initially she was being followed by an unmarked police car, a VW Golf, for almost 60km before two marked SAPS cars joined the chase. About five minutes later and just before the eMkhomazi off-ramp, the police opened fire, shooting at the tyres of Douglas’s Spark.
Her car careered across the highway and landed on the southbound carriage way. The car rolled repeatedly and Douglas was flung out.Police insiders said that in the moments before her death, as she lay near the crumpled remains of her car, she begged officers for help and reached out, clutching the boot of one policeman who stood over her. She made a pleading call for help and died minutes later as police involved in the chase allegedly hatched a plot to cover up the shooting. Paramedics arrived nearly half an hour later.
In that time her car was said to have been dragged up the road by a towing company owned by a relative of one of the officers involved.eMkhomazi tow-truck driver David Mackenzie said that he listened to the chase play out on his two-way radio. He heard the voice of senior shift officer, Warrant Officer Logan Naidoo, who was in charge.
“I was listening to how they were in pursuit of the vehicle and I heard Naidoo’s voice come over the air saying he was joining the chase. Officers broadcast that the road had been closed up ahead and all of a sudden they came over saying the car had crashed. No one said a word about the shooting,” he said.
“Something seemed strange about the crash and when they said that the woman had died I raised the alarm. When I couldn’t reach the Umkomaas station commissioner, I phoned detectives at Port Shepstone and made sure they went to the scene which ended up being a massive cover-up,” Mackenzie added.
“We cannot allow this to happen. To this day I am the only one to have marked the accident scene and it is clear her tyres had been shot out and there was no way she was doing a U-turn (as later claimed by police).
“The Umkomaas station commissioner only went to the scene a day later on my insistence,” he said.“These men have tampered with evidence and deliberately tried to cover this up; that is defeating the ends of justice,” he said.
Douglas had had a run-in with police in July and was in a legal battle with a Southport police officer, who she claimed had violently assaulted her during an arrest for accidentally bumping her neighbour’s scooter with her car in the parking lot of the block of flats where she stayed.
After the fracas in July she was detained in police cells in Port Shepstone for three days. She’s alleged to have assaulted the police members who arrested her. One officer involved reportedly demanded R6 000 from her to drop a charge of assault, which Douglas refused to pay.
On the afternoon of her death, she was allegedly accosted by a police officer.It was unclear whether the policemen who pursued Douglas were in any way connected to her legal woes.
Falsified accident
sketches, destruction of key evidence, and counter charges of attempted murder
against Douglas came to light this week. No mention of shots being fired was
communicated over police radio channels.
A police source said: “The road had been closed and this was conveyed to those vehicles chasing the woman. There was no reason to shoot at the vehicle to disable the car – five minutes longer and the chase would have come to an end.
“They would have seen it was a woman who posed no threat to them. Pulling out firearms and using force is not something these guys will be able to justify.”After the crash the five policemen involved didn’t initially report the shooting.
“The gunshots were heard by other members who had closed the road ahead,” the source said.
“When they got to
the scene Naidoo said she had tried to do a U-turn and crashed. ”But this story
unravelled when police colleagues asked questions. “They didn’t say anything
about the shooting and tried to pass it off as an accident,” the source
alleged.
“Naidoo’s brother owns a tow-truck company and was one of the first at the scene and they completely destroyed evidence by towing the car about 50m up the road. No pictures or scene reconstruction had been done.” Her crumpled car was dragged on flat tyres to the police station.
The next day one of the five policemen involved opened a case of attempted murder against Douglas and said she tried to run him off the road. Naidoo refused to comment on allegations made against him when contacted by the Sunday Tribune.
Police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said: “The allegations are being investigated by the Ipid.”A grieving Leonie Lukin says she will for ever be haunted by her daughter’s last call. “She called me saying a female police officer was trying to drag her out of her car. I could hear her telling the policewoman to leave her alone. I told Leanne to not get out of the car and continue driving to the nearest police station. When I called her back two minutes later to find out what happened she was frantic, saying the police were still chasing her.
“She said, ‘Mom they want to kill me. They are shooting at me. I am coming to you.’ I heard a shot and heard her scream, then I heard nothing,” she said. “I couldn’t do anything to help her; I didn’t know what was happening.”
She believes the chase was linked to a previous incident when police tried to arrest Douglas unlawfully .
“Leanne was unlawfully
arrested for malicious damage to property and resisting arrest. Things did get
physical and she may have hurled insults at them. My Leanne was no quiet mouse
and would stand up for herself. She hit a scooter that was parked in her garage
and thought she had just bumped it and not caused much damage. The malicious
damage matter was later thrown out of court.
“But emanating from that case, she allegedly broke a female police officer’s phone. She wanted a new top-of-the-range phone for R6 000 to drop charges against Leanne.“Leanne refused to pay the bribe, saying it was extortion. I’m not sure if this is the same officer that tried to pull her out of the car.
“But emanating from that case, she allegedly broke a female police officer’s phone. She wanted a new top-of-the-range phone for R6 000 to drop charges against Leanne.“Leanne refused to pay the bribe, saying it was extortion. I’m not sure if this is the same officer that tried to pull her out of the car.
I don’t want to
draw conclusions, but I think the police officers giving chase knew they were
going to be in trouble for the unlawful arrest and the bribe.”
Lukin’s home is covered with pictures of Douglas beaming on her wedding day.“She was so beautiful, look how happy she looked,” said Lukin, tears welling up in her eyes.Numerous paintings done by Douglas also hang in the lounge. “She was such a creative and unique person. Her paintings bear testimony to that. I am going to miss her. We only had each other.”
Douglas was Lukin’s only child and she has no other living relatives.“I’m going to miss her hooting at my gate in her little car when she would pop round for a visit. She was a breath of fresh air, breezing through the front door full of life and love.”
Lukin denied claims that Douglas, who was divorced and had no children, was driving drunk and recklessly before the chase. “The police claim she ran a red robot and was driving suspiciously but I have my doubts about that. There is no justification for what they did, and the police are trying to come up with all kinds of stories to cover up. And if she was driving recklessly it was because she was afraid and was being pursued by three cars.”
charmel.payet@inl.co.za jeff.wicks@inl.co.za Sunday Tribune http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/mom-they-want-to-kill-me-1.1581014#.UmNR_1NjLug
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The funeral service for Mrs Elize Douglas who was shot dead execution style in front of the ABSA bank in Carltonville October 14, will be commemorated from 11am Friday 18 October and the funeral cortege will leave from the Ou Apostoliese Kerk in Carltonville West in Extention 9. Every one is invited to help the family in their mourning process, relatives said.
UPDATE SEPT 25 2013: Chilling revelations have emerged about the killing of Leanne Douglas, a 45-year-old Port Shepstone woman who died after police opened fire on her car on the N2 near eMkhomazi (Umkomaas) last Sunday.
She was chased off the road by five policemen in three cars... Initially she was being followed by an unmarked police car, a VW Golf, for almost 60km before two marked SAPS cars joined the chase.
About five minutes later and
just before the eMkhomazi off-ramp, the police opened fire, shooting at the
tyres of Douglas’s Spark. Her car careered across the highway and landed on the
southbound carriage way. The car rolled repeatedly and Douglas was flung out.
Police insiders said that in the moments before her death, as she lay near the crumpled remains of her car, she begged officers for help and reached out, clutching the boot of one policeman who stood over her. She made a pleading call for help and died minutes later as police involved in the chase allegedly hatched a plot to cover up the shooting.
Paramedics arrived nearly half an hour later. In that time her car was dragged about 50m up the road by a towing company owned by a relative of one of the officers involved who deliberately tried to cover up that her tyres had been shot out...
==============================
UPDATE Sept 19 2013: 'cop who arrived at the scene tells Natal Mercury: 'nobody was helping her, she was still alive, did not die on impact.' ... 'why would anybody shoot at a fleeing car when we all knew there was a road-block ahead which would stop her within a minute? --- http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/cops-under-fire-for-woman-s-road-death-1.1579786#.Uj5sBFM9uIY
----------------------
September 19 2013 STORY By LEE RONDGANGER
- "South Coast restaurant owner Leanne Douglas died after her car flipped when it was was allegedly shot at by pursuing officers." --
Durban - The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has launched a murder investigation into the death of a Durban woman whose car was allegedly shot at by pursuing officers as she drove home from Port Shepstone.
During the shooting, Leanne Douglas was on the phone with her mother, Leonie Lukin, telling her that police were chasing her and that she was scared.
Lukin, 72, said: “There was a commotion and I could hear it. Then she told me they wanted to kill her,” she said.
“I heard the bullets whizz and I asked her what was going on and she said, ‘Mom, they are shooting at me’. That was the last I heard from her.”
Douglas, 45, died after at least five police bullets struck her blue Chevrolet Spark on Sunday night, causing it to flip on the N2 near eMkhomazi (Umkomaas).
The officers allegedly involved in the incident allegedly also tried to hide the shooting but their story came apart when their station commander spotted the bullet holes in the car and questioned them about it.
Douglas, described by friends as an outgoing, bubbly person, was the owner of the Red Rooster restaurant at Spillers Wharf in Port Shepstone. She was driving home to Durban to surprise her mother when the incident occurred.
Lukin, who was still trying to come to terms with her daughter’s death, said on Wednesday that she was angry and wanted the officers to face the full might of the law.
“It seems as if the police are becoming a law unto themselves. Something has to be done about them,” she said. “They cannot go around shooting people for no reason.”
Lukin travelled with an undertaker from Durban to eMkhomazi on Wednesday to fetch her daughter’s body from the government mortuary.
“She was my only daughter and my entire life. She phoned me to say she was coming home,” Lukin said.
Since opening her restaurant in Port Shepstone, Douglas lived in Southport but would often visit her mother in Musgrave.
Ipid’s spokesman, Moses Dlamini, said a group of policemen driving in three vehicles – two of them marked and one white, unmarked VW Golf – spotted Douglas driving towards eMkhomazi when they tried to stop her.
“It is alleged that the woman was driving recklessly. When the police tried to stop her she allegedly sped off and a chase ensued,” Dlamini said.
“The policemen fired shots at the woman’s vehicle and she lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. The woman died on the scene. It is alleged that the policemen reported just the accident and concealed the fact that they had shot at the deceased’s vehicle.
“When the vehicle was towed away, the station commander noticed bullet holes on the vehicle and he called the suspects to get clarity – they could not give a reasonable explanation for the shooting.”
Dlamini said the station commander then informed Ipid of the incident.He said a docket of murder and defeating the ends of justice had been opened, and that investigations were continuing. No arrests had been made.
Lukin said she was distraught and wanted answers.“I am hoping the post-mortem can shed some light. From what I was told there were at least five shots fired at the car, most of them at the back of the car and one on the side,” she said.
“I am not sure if it was that that killed her or the fact that the car flipped. I need answers and someone has to be held accountable.”
Police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker, said police from eMkhomazi and surrounding areas were called by their Port Shepstone colleagues after a car chase ensued on the N2.
“When the Umkomaas police arrived on the scene they found the vehicle overturned on the road and the woman had died on the scene,” he said, adding that when the allegations were made, Ipid was asked to investigate.
“We are going to co-operate fully with Ipid in their investigation,” Naicker said. “We don’t want to speculate as to what happened.”
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/mom-cops-are-shooting-at-me-1.1579999#.Ujrwo1M9uIY
Daily News
===========
Sept 19:
Cops under fire for umarmed young woman's road death in bullet-riddled car: "she failed to stop...' http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/cops-under-fire-for-woman-s-road-death-1.1579786&sa=U&ei=nms-UoXGB8Ow0QXksYCwCg&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNFqjN-ABimbt-a4CuduQT_FtTn8NQ
Cop: "no one was helping the victim Douglas' ... 'she died on the scene but not on impact'...'why would you shoot at a vehicle if you knew there was a road-block ahead and would be stopped within the next minute?"
September 19 2013 By Lauren Rawlins Probe into death after police shooting The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is investigating the death of Port Shepstone restaurant owner Lee-Anne Douglas, 45, as a result of police action.
Douglas, driving a blue Chevrolet Spark, allegedly refused to stop for an unmarked police vehicle in Port Shepstone on Sunday evening and, as a result, a chase took place down the N2 towards Umkomaas.
Directorate national spokesman Moses Dlamini said: “The policemen fired shots at the woman’s vehicle and it overturned. The woman died on the scene. It is alleged that the policemen reported just the accident and concealed the fact they had shot at the deceased’s vehicle.
“When the vehicle was towed away, the station commander noticed bullet holes in the vehicle and he called the suspects and tried to get clarity – they could not give a reasonable explanation for the shooting,” Dlamini said.
A docket of murder and defeating the ends of justice has been opened and the investigation continues. No arrests have been made.
Colonel Jay Naicker declined to comment on whether or not it was police procedure to shoot at a vehicle if the driver refused to stop, saying: “We don’t want to speculate as to what happened, but we are fully co-operating with Ipid so that we can unwrap what happened on Sunday.”
A policeman, who did not want to be named, said that when he arrived on the scene no one was helping Douglas, who died at the scene but not on impact.
“Everyone was just milling around, almost confused.”The policeman said that the N2 at the Umkomaas turn-off had been completely blockaded and that this was announced on the police radio.
“Why would you shoot at a vehicle if you knew that she would definitely be stopped within the next minute?”
---------------------
The Mercury http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/cops-under-fire-for-woman-s-road-death-1.1579786#.Uj5sBFM9uIY
===============
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1583
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Chilling
expose of road-murder on KZN restaurateur Leanne Douglas: chased off-road by
five policemen in 3 cars: dies in bullet-riddled car
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1583
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Chilling
expose of road-murder on KZN restaurateur Leanne Douglas: chased off-road by
five policemen in 3 cars: dies in bullet-riddled car
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1583
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Chilling
expose of road-murder on KZN restaurateur Leanne Douglas: chased off-road by
five policemen in 3 cars: dies in bullet-riddled car
http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1583
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Pretoria great-grandmother, 92, survives horrific eight-hour rape ordeal
by two black males at Groenkloof home:
Police ignored her emergency call
0050
11:14 Oct 22 2013 Groenkloof,
Pretoria 0181, South Africa
Description
92-year-old Pretoria woman
survives 8-hour rape ordeal by one of two black male attackers - NO RESPONSE
FROM POLICE TO HER EMERGENCY CALL... NOBODY SHOWED UP...
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"Pretoria gran in rape, robbery ordeal" October 22 2013 at 07:52am By Valeska Abreu - IOL Pretoria - Desperate to call for help after being raped by one of two intruders, a 92-year-old Pretoria woman crawled down a passage, through the lounge, and down stairs to reach a telephone on the porch of her home. After spending eight harrowing hours with her attackers, who ransacked her Groenkloof home and ate and drank from her fridge, the great-grandmother searched a phone book for the Sunnyside police station number, reported her ordeal and waited for help that never came. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she realised at 3.30pm last Friday – four-and-a-half hours after calling the police station for help and with no one showing up – that she had to make another call. She managed to call her gardener, who was at a nearby shopping centre. He hurried to the house and found the frail woman battered and bruised. The gardener phoned the woman’s son. “The gardener immediately informed me of what had happened. I called my siblings, police and an ambulance,” the son said. “On my way to the house I kept thinking about who would do something as horrible as this to such an old woman. “Only a savage would do something like this.” The two men had entered the three-bedroomed home, where the woman lived alone, at about 10.30 on Thursday night. “She is very cautious, so at night she locks all the doors to the relevant rooms, including the lounge and kitchen,” her son said. The woman, who uses a hearing aid, slept through the noise of the intruders breaking through a picture window and doors. They gained access to the passage and were confronted by her locked bedroom door. “They climbed into the ceiling through the trapdoor and then walked on the roof to her room, where they broke one of the panels to get inside her room,” her son said. Once inside the room, they awakened the woman and asked her for money. “She told them she didn’t have much money because her family did all her shopping for her, but told them to look in her bag and take what she had. “They ransacked the room and threw everything out of the closets. “One of the intruders didn’t talk to her, he was just looking for what he could take. “But the other showed a keen interest in her. While his accomplice was ransacking the rest of the house, he raped my mother. At some stage she was also hit over the head with a carpenter file.” According to the son, the men ate and drank from his mother’s fridge while they waited for daybreak. At 6.30am on Friday, the robbers left. At 11am the woman crawled to the phone to call for help. “At this time she can’t account for all the hours, but it appears she passed out a few times. “I have no idea why she didn’t call me when she first got to a phone. I’m just glad she eventually got hold of the gardener, who could then be with her and call for help.” The woman was taken on Friday afternoon to hospital, where she is still being treated. The man said his mother was in shock, but was resilient. “If you speak to her, you cannot believe that she has been through something like this. “She is joking about it, but doctors say that is her way of dealing with the ordeal. She is in shock and still has to fully comprehend what happened. “She told me that she is amused by what happened because she didn’t think anyone would want to rape an old woman like her, but inside I know she is hurting.” Arrangements are being made for the woman to move to a retirement village, but her son says she will not agree to this without a fight. “She is a very independent woman, and I know she will not agree willingly to go to a home, but at this stage she does not have a choice. “After this I cannot allow my mother to live in that house again. It’s just not safe.” The son added that he would be taking steps with the Sunnyside police station regarding his mother’s initial call at 11am. However, he commended the professionalism and helpfulness of the officers investigating the case. “They are really doing a sterling job and have shown a lot of determination to catch the perpetrators. We are really pleased with the way they are handling this. “I’m just concerned about why they never responded to my mother’s initial call at 11am.” Police said they were investigating the break-in and rape, but no arrests had been made. They were also investigating the ignored call made by the woman to the police. “We will have to investigate the allegations of the first phone call with records, to see what happened,” spokeswoman Sergeant Asnath Malatsi said. Pretoria News
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/pretoria-gran-in-rape-robbery-ordeal-1.1595412
-------
"Pretoria gran in rape, robbery ordeal" October 22 2013 at 07:52am By Valeska Abreu - IOL Pretoria - Desperate to call for help after being raped by one of two intruders, a 92-year-old Pretoria woman crawled down a passage, through the lounge, and down stairs to reach a telephone on the porch of her home. After spending eight harrowing hours with her attackers, who ransacked her Groenkloof home and ate and drank from her fridge, the great-grandmother searched a phone book for the Sunnyside police station number, reported her ordeal and waited for help that never came. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she realised at 3.30pm last Friday – four-and-a-half hours after calling the police station for help and with no one showing up – that she had to make another call. She managed to call her gardener, who was at a nearby shopping centre. He hurried to the house and found the frail woman battered and bruised. The gardener phoned the woman’s son. “The gardener immediately informed me of what had happened. I called my siblings, police and an ambulance,” the son said. “On my way to the house I kept thinking about who would do something as horrible as this to such an old woman. “Only a savage would do something like this.” The two men had entered the three-bedroomed home, where the woman lived alone, at about 10.30 on Thursday night. “She is very cautious, so at night she locks all the doors to the relevant rooms, including the lounge and kitchen,” her son said. The woman, who uses a hearing aid, slept through the noise of the intruders breaking through a picture window and doors. They gained access to the passage and were confronted by her locked bedroom door. “They climbed into the ceiling through the trapdoor and then walked on the roof to her room, where they broke one of the panels to get inside her room,” her son said. Once inside the room, they awakened the woman and asked her for money. “She told them she didn’t have much money because her family did all her shopping for her, but told them to look in her bag and take what she had. “They ransacked the room and threw everything out of the closets. “One of the intruders didn’t talk to her, he was just looking for what he could take. “But the other showed a keen interest in her. While his accomplice was ransacking the rest of the house, he raped my mother. At some stage she was also hit over the head with a carpenter file.” According to the son, the men ate and drank from his mother’s fridge while they waited for daybreak. At 6.30am on Friday, the robbers left. At 11am the woman crawled to the phone to call for help. “At this time she can’t account for all the hours, but it appears she passed out a few times. “I have no idea why she didn’t call me when she first got to a phone. I’m just glad she eventually got hold of the gardener, who could then be with her and call for help.” The woman was taken on Friday afternoon to hospital, where she is still being treated. The man said his mother was in shock, but was resilient. “If you speak to her, you cannot believe that she has been through something like this. “She is joking about it, but doctors say that is her way of dealing with the ordeal. She is in shock and still has to fully comprehend what happened. “She told me that she is amused by what happened because she didn’t think anyone would want to rape an old woman like her, but inside I know she is hurting.” Arrangements are being made for the woman to move to a retirement village, but her son says she will not agree to this without a fight. “She is a very independent woman, and I know she will not agree willingly to go to a home, but at this stage she does not have a choice. “After this I cannot allow my mother to live in that house again. It’s just not safe.” The son added that he would be taking steps with the Sunnyside police station regarding his mother’s initial call at 11am. However, he commended the professionalism and helpfulness of the officers investigating the case. “They are really doing a sterling job and have shown a lot of determination to catch the perpetrators. We are really pleased with the way they are handling this. “I’m just concerned about why they never responded to my mother’s initial call at 11am.” Police said they were investigating the break-in and rape, but no arrests had been made. They were also investigating the ignored call made by the woman to the police. “We will have to investigate the allegations of the first phone call with records, to see what happened,” spokeswoman Sergeant Asnath Malatsi said. Pretoria News
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/pretoria-gran-in-rape-robbery-ordeal-1.1595412
Crimes of the South African Police Service
6
murders: black people necklaced: Khutsong, Carletonville residents rioted to
protest against poor police response to gangs terrorising towns:
0080
18:40 Nov 15 2013 Khutsong,
Carletonville, South Africa
Discription
Khutsong Carletonville
residents are sick and tired of being terrorised by gangs: so they protested
and the riots went out of control - suddenly there were more than enough police
to fight residents: six were killed in riots:
Adele Louw writes in the Carletonville Herald: 2013-11-12 This past weekend, Khutsong residents rioted and went out of control because the SAPS is not paying attention to any gang-related crimes.
This past weekend six people were murdered, but nobody was arrested.
There was a long runup to the explosion of violence this weekend, she writes:
the public kept complaining about the gang-crime, and complaints that the police were not helping them fight the gangs fell on deaf ears.
The SAPS said in turn they were not given enough resources to fight crime: personnel, crime-fighting material and rolling stock were inefficient to fight the gangs.
Meanwhile the public have to live in the grip of violent crimes controlling their suburbs.
Louw writes: while it's ironic that the SAPS in the area could not summon extra police-help when they had to act against the gangs, help suddenly arrived from all directions
when the residents rioted this past weekend. Couldn't decision-makers within the police have provided that same kind of help and prevent these problems in the first place if they had provided sufficient help to fight the gangs?
Meanwhile, residents are increasingly irate and feel that the only way they can get attention for the gang-problem is to take such drastic actions.
And they seem to have a point if one saw the overwhelming police response when the citizens started rioting.
Meanwhile other area residents are equally angry about the murders committed lately. Will all these crimes get sufficient police-attention before
the entire community decides to take the law into their own hands?
http://www.carletonvilleherald.com/101368/news-details/mense-moeg-vir-misdaad
Adele Louw writes in the Carletonville Herald: 2013-11-12 This past weekend, Khutsong residents rioted and went out of control because the SAPS is not paying attention to any gang-related crimes.
This past weekend six people were murdered, but nobody was arrested.
There was a long runup to the explosion of violence this weekend, she writes:
the public kept complaining about the gang-crime, and complaints that the police were not helping them fight the gangs fell on deaf ears.
The SAPS said in turn they were not given enough resources to fight crime: personnel, crime-fighting material and rolling stock were inefficient to fight the gangs.
Meanwhile the public have to live in the grip of violent crimes controlling their suburbs.
Louw writes: while it's ironic that the SAPS in the area could not summon extra police-help when they had to act against the gangs, help suddenly arrived from all directions
when the residents rioted this past weekend. Couldn't decision-makers within the police have provided that same kind of help and prevent these problems in the first place if they had provided sufficient help to fight the gangs?
Meanwhile, residents are increasingly irate and feel that the only way they can get attention for the gang-problem is to take such drastic actions.
And they seem to have a point if one saw the overwhelming police response when the citizens started rioting.
Meanwhile other area residents are equally angry about the murders committed lately. Will all these crimes get sufficient police-attention before
the entire community decides to take the law into their own hands?
http://www.carletonvilleherald.com/101368/news-details/mense-moeg-vir-misdaad
News Source Link
Crimes of the South African Police Service
AgriSA farm rights group warns that SA Police are arresting white
farmers illegally without warrants or due cause
077140
16:26 Nov 25 2013
Johannesburg, South Africa
Discription
RT @landbou: @Agrisa warns
that SA Police are again arresting farmers illegally without warrants or due
legal cause
http://bit.ly/1dvERr7
Boere weer onwettig in hegtenis geneem
Deur Alani Janeka, 25 November 2013 http://www.landbou.co.za/nuus/boere-weer-onwettig-in-hegtenis-geneem
"Dit lyk asof wederregtelike inhegtenisnemings van boere weer kop uitsteek, waarsku Agri SA.
“Of dit uit onkunde of moedswillig is, kan ons nie nou bepaal nie, maar dit is duidelik dat onwettige inhegtenisnemings van boere weer kop uitsteek.”
Dit is een van die aspekte wat Agri SA se veiligheidskomitee onlangs tydens ’n vergadering bespreek het, sê mnr. Kobus Breytenbach, voorsitter.
’n Paar jaar gelede het die voorvalle ook gereeld voorgekom. Breytenbach sê die voorvalle word in talle provinsies aangemeld, hoewel dit nou veral in Noordwes voorkom.
“'n Opname van die voorvalle word gedoen om die omvang en voorkoms daarvan te bepaal, sodat verdere optrede met die polisie bespreek kan word,” sê Agri SA in ’n verklaring.
Breytenbach versoek mense wat só in hegtenis geneem word, om hulself nie te verset nie, want dan kan die beampte ’n saak van verset teen inhegtisneming aanhangig maak wat wel wetlik vervolg kan word.
Onaanvaarbare aspek
Die komitee meen dat landelike misdaad een van die onaanvaarbare aspekte is waarmee landbouers op 'n daaglikse basis gekonfronteer word.
“Nie net moet hulle daarmee saamleef nie, maar die hoë vlakke daarvan lei tot onaanvaarbare koste en verliese vir landbouers.”
Die toepassing van die Landelike Beveiligingstrategie word ook fyn dopgehou, hoewel die toeganglikheid van polisiëring vir landelike gemeenskappe ’n kwessie bly.
’n Ooreenkoms bestaan wel tussen Agri SA en CrisisOnCall oor die verskafifng van ’n verskeidenheid dienste in krisis- en noodsituasie, en boere word aangemoedig om daarvan gebruik te maak. Besoek www.crisisoncall.co.za vir meer inligting.
Met volgende jaar se verkiesing in gedagte het die komitee reeds die Onafhanklike Verkiesingskommissie (OVK) in kennis gestel dat hy bereid is om met die OVK saam te werk.
Die OVK het vroeër die protokol onderteken waarvolgens reëls vir besoeke uiteengesit word, én waarin bepaal word dat politieke byeenkomste weg van die plaas by openbare plekke aangebied moet word.
http://www.landbou.co.za/nuus/boere-weer-onwettig-in-hegtenis-geneem
http://bit.ly/1dvERr7
Boere weer onwettig in hegtenis geneem
Deur Alani Janeka, 25 November 2013 http://www.landbou.co.za/nuus/boere-weer-onwettig-in-hegtenis-geneem
"Dit lyk asof wederregtelike inhegtenisnemings van boere weer kop uitsteek, waarsku Agri SA.
“Of dit uit onkunde of moedswillig is, kan ons nie nou bepaal nie, maar dit is duidelik dat onwettige inhegtenisnemings van boere weer kop uitsteek.”
Dit is een van die aspekte wat Agri SA se veiligheidskomitee onlangs tydens ’n vergadering bespreek het, sê mnr. Kobus Breytenbach, voorsitter.
’n Paar jaar gelede het die voorvalle ook gereeld voorgekom. Breytenbach sê die voorvalle word in talle provinsies aangemeld, hoewel dit nou veral in Noordwes voorkom.
“'n Opname van die voorvalle word gedoen om die omvang en voorkoms daarvan te bepaal, sodat verdere optrede met die polisie bespreek kan word,” sê Agri SA in ’n verklaring.
Breytenbach versoek mense wat só in hegtenis geneem word, om hulself nie te verset nie, want dan kan die beampte ’n saak van verset teen inhegtisneming aanhangig maak wat wel wetlik vervolg kan word.
Onaanvaarbare aspek
Die komitee meen dat landelike misdaad een van die onaanvaarbare aspekte is waarmee landbouers op 'n daaglikse basis gekonfronteer word.
“Nie net moet hulle daarmee saamleef nie, maar die hoë vlakke daarvan lei tot onaanvaarbare koste en verliese vir landbouers.”
Die toepassing van die Landelike Beveiligingstrategie word ook fyn dopgehou, hoewel die toeganglikheid van polisiëring vir landelike gemeenskappe ’n kwessie bly.
’n Ooreenkoms bestaan wel tussen Agri SA en CrisisOnCall oor die verskafifng van ’n verskeidenheid dienste in krisis- en noodsituasie, en boere word aangemoedig om daarvan gebruik te maak. Besoek www.crisisoncall.co.za vir meer inligting.
Met volgende jaar se verkiesing in gedagte het die komitee reeds die Onafhanklike Verkiesingskommissie (OVK) in kennis gestel dat hy bereid is om met die OVK saam te werk.
Die OVK het vroeër die protokol onderteken waarvolgens reëls vir besoeke uiteengesit word, én waarin bepaal word dat politieke byeenkomste weg van die plaas by openbare plekke aangebied moet word.
http://www.landbou.co.za/nuus/boere-weer-onwettig-in-hegtenis-geneem
News Source Link
Crimes of the South African Police Service
Black South African Police Service constable Melusi Muzikayise Manyisa
31 charged for inciting xenophobic riots against Pakistani shopkeepers
Barberton
13:23 Jun 7 2012
Barberton, Mpumalanga
Description
GRANTED BAIL: not known if he
was put back on duty: -- Black police officer constable Melusi Muzikayise
Manyisa, 31, was charged for inciting the recent xenophobic riots in Barberton.
His case starts August 6. HE WAS GRANTED A LOW AMOUNT OF BAIL.
The black police officer charged with starting xenophobic riots, torching police station: June 7 2012 - SAPS constable Melusi Muzikayise Manyisa (31) and comrade Alfred Mkhabela (32) were granted bail in Barberton-magistrate’s court, confirmed SAPS sergeant Sediba:
Both black males are charged with public violence, arson and intimidation: they were charged with torching foreign-owned shops, a satellite-police station and municipal offices. The case was postponed to 6 August:
AfrikaansNews24
Thus far this year, there were a great many, increasingly violent anti-ANC riots – during which large, armed mobs block major highways, extorted cash and assault motorists and police. This is happening right now across South Africa - but the most violent riots are being reportedly this week in Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga. Yet a murky organisation called “Municipal IQ” which monitors these riots does not bother to inform local residents of the dangers they are in while the threat is at its worst: instead, 'Municipal IQ" only warns ‘signed up members’ in monthly reports afterwards: with claims that the most violent rioting ‘takes place in the Western Cape. ‘
Murky company ‘Municipal Q’ supplies summaries of riots to Goverment agencies: but does not warn residents away from dangerous riot hot-spots:
Apparently this murky company called “Municipal IQ’ maintains records of all these violent riots – yet only publish summaries after these events to signed-up government agencies: and apparently cannot be bothered to save people’s lives by warning them away from these hotspots while the riots occur: Municipal_IQ
The black police officer charged with starting xenophobic riots, torching police station: June 7 2012 - SAPS constable Melusi Muzikayise Manyisa (31) and comrade Alfred Mkhabela (32) were granted bail in Barberton-magistrate’s court, confirmed SAPS sergeant Sediba:
Both black males are charged with public violence, arson and intimidation: they were charged with torching foreign-owned shops, a satellite-police station and municipal offices. The case was postponed to 6 August:
AfrikaansNews24
Thus far this year, there were a great many, increasingly violent anti-ANC riots – during which large, armed mobs block major highways, extorted cash and assault motorists and police. This is happening right now across South Africa - but the most violent riots are being reportedly this week in Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga. Yet a murky organisation called “Municipal IQ” which monitors these riots does not bother to inform local residents of the dangers they are in while the threat is at its worst: instead, 'Municipal IQ" only warns ‘signed up members’ in monthly reports afterwards: with claims that the most violent rioting ‘takes place in the Western Cape. ‘
Murky company ‘Municipal Q’ supplies summaries of riots to Goverment agencies: but does not warn residents away from dangerous riot hot-spots:
Apparently this murky company called “Municipal IQ’ maintains records of all these violent riots – yet only publish summaries after these events to signed-up government agencies: and apparently cannot be bothered to save people’s lives by warning them away from these hotspots while the riots occur: Municipal_IQ
Crimes of the South African Police Service
4 black South African Police Service constables convicted in Cape High Court for kidnapping,
armed robbery of Milnerton businessman April 2010 praise for d/sgt Edward
Edwardes for catching organised crooked-cop gang
0000
14:53 Jun 12 2012 Milnerton,
West Cape
Description
4 black SAPS officers get 48 yrs prison: Cape
High Court: kidnapped, robbed Milnerton businessman April 2010:
http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=29680
D/Sgt Edward Edwardes, who was praised for helping to put four colleagues behind bars. Photograph by WO Siyabulela Vukubi (Maitland SAPS)
Four police officers were sentenced to a total of 48 years imprisonment by the Cape High Court for serious and violent crimes.
Constables Solomzi Gcanga, 35, Zolelani Mdekazi, 31, (both from Gugulethu SAPS), Thandikhaya Mdingi, 36, and Andile Mziwakhe, 37, (both from Athlone SAPS) were convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances, armed robbery and kidnapping. They were jailed to 12 years each on 6 June 2012.
The Cape High Court found that the police members went to a house in Rugby (Milnerton) in April 2010. Dressed in civilian clothes, they identified themselves as members of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
The four police members searched the house and told the homeowner that they were searching for drugs. During the search they found a leather bag belonging to the complainant, and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the bag.
The accused went to a bedroom and ordered the complainant to open his safe. He refused and they assaulted him until he opened the safe. They took an undisclosed amount of cash.
The four constables then ordered the businessman to open his shop. But he told them that the shop’s key was with his assistant who lived in Khayelitsha.
The members then drove to Khayelitsha with the complainant where they pushed him out of the vehicle and drove off.
The Maitland Police Management lauded the good work by the investigating officer, D/Sgt Edward Edwardes, “...who worked tirelessly in making sure that justice is served...”
Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Arno Lamoer, warned several times this year that police officers who got involved in crime, “...their uniforms will be replaced by bright orange overalls (prison garb)...”
SAPS rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Surname & Initial: Norman. Joseph
Telephone No: (021) 4678603
Cellphone: 0827776004
Email address: wcjournalist@saps.gov.za
URL LINK OF POLICE REPORT:
http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=29680
also attached: page view on article 'POLICE HAVE TROUBLE IDENTIFYING BOGUS COPS FROM REAL ONES"...
http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=29680
D/Sgt Edward Edwardes, who was praised for helping to put four colleagues behind bars. Photograph by WO Siyabulela Vukubi (Maitland SAPS)
Four police officers were sentenced to a total of 48 years imprisonment by the Cape High Court for serious and violent crimes.
Constables Solomzi Gcanga, 35, Zolelani Mdekazi, 31, (both from Gugulethu SAPS), Thandikhaya Mdingi, 36, and Andile Mziwakhe, 37, (both from Athlone SAPS) were convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances, armed robbery and kidnapping. They were jailed to 12 years each on 6 June 2012.
The Cape High Court found that the police members went to a house in Rugby (Milnerton) in April 2010. Dressed in civilian clothes, they identified themselves as members of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
The four police members searched the house and told the homeowner that they were searching for drugs. During the search they found a leather bag belonging to the complainant, and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the bag.
The accused went to a bedroom and ordered the complainant to open his safe. He refused and they assaulted him until he opened the safe. They took an undisclosed amount of cash.
The four constables then ordered the businessman to open his shop. But he told them that the shop’s key was with his assistant who lived in Khayelitsha.
The members then drove to Khayelitsha with the complainant where they pushed him out of the vehicle and drove off.
The Maitland Police Management lauded the good work by the investigating officer, D/Sgt Edward Edwardes, “...who worked tirelessly in making sure that justice is served...”
Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Arno Lamoer, warned several times this year that police officers who got involved in crime, “...their uniforms will be replaced by bright orange overalls (prison garb)...”
SAPS rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Surname & Initial: Norman. Joseph
Telephone No: (021) 4678603
Cellphone: 0827776004
Email address: wcjournalist@saps.gov.za
URL LINK OF POLICE REPORT:
http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=29680
also attached: page view on article 'POLICE HAVE TROUBLE IDENTIFYING BOGUS COPS FROM REAL ONES"...
Crimes of the South African Police Service
EBlockwatch
warns of Crisis in Sandton South African Police Service: intimidation, bullying
and false arrests targetting white ratepayers
0000
21:35 Jun 15 2012 Sandton,
Gauteng
Description
#Eblockwatch warns: there may
be a crisis in Sandton SAPS: wrongful arrest and beating of Ashley Cerqueira of
Bryanston; and 1yr-old charge of police-intimidation still not investigated: http://www.eblockwatch.co.za
- Last week, The Star reported on the alleged beating and wrongful arrest of Bryanston resident, Ashley Cerqueira, and called on other residents to report similar incidents of police harassment and abuse. One case of intimidation and beating stood out, having been reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate last year, but after 12 months, it appears that none of the officers involved have been punished.
The following report was submitted to the directorate soon after the attack. "In June last year, 19-year-old Michael Smith* was driving to a friend’s home when he and the friend noticed a black Citi Golf with a broken headlight following them. The pair were wary of the car and quickly pulled into the friend’s driveway to try to get inside, but the speeding Golf had caught up to them. Not knowing what else to do, Smith realised he wouldn’t make it on to his friend’s property fast enough and instead drove away quickly.
They made their way to the N1 highway nearby in an attempt to lose the Golf, but it kept on their tails, flashing its lights at the two teenagers as they tried to get away.
At the Beyers Naudé off-ramp, noticing a marked police van on the side of the highway, they slowed down and tried to flag down the officer. As they pulled up next to the police van, several other nearby Sandton patrol cars also stopped on the side of the highway. A dozen police officers surrounded the car with their firearms drawn. Not knowing what to do, the two teens stayed in the car.
More police cars had arrived on the scene at this point. Smith estimated that there were 30 policemen in all, each with their weapon drawn. One of the officers asked Smith to roll down his window, and pulled the young driver out through the opening.
Several of the men asked why the two teenagers had not pulled over for the black Golf, which they were told was a police vehicle even though it had no markings or a blue light. “We thought they were trying to hijack us because they followed us all the way from the south.” Smith said several of the cops told them they were “lying” and “talking s***”. A cop lunged at Smith, tackling him to the ground, telling the 19-year-old he was lying and elbowing him in the eye. As Smith’s eye began to swell, the police accused the boys of driving under the influence. The pair offered to be tested on the spot to disprove the claim. But after several more minutes of heckling, the officers eventually escorted the two teenagers back to their home in Oakdene. No documents were filled in, nor statements taken, blood drawn nor breathalyser tests conducted after the pair were pulled over. The father of Smith’s friend managed to get the full details of the officers in the black Citi Golf who had escorted them home, and determined they were from Booysens police station and had been patrolling in an unmarked vehicle. In another incident reported to The Star, a man travelling near Northgate shopping centre claimed that he was intimidated by police after they pulled him over. In March, his car was searched, and the officers claimed a chewing gum wrapper was “drugs” and threatened to arrest him if he didn’t draw money for them at a nearby ATM. Aiming their rifles at the 25-year-old, they took his wallet from him, rifled through it looking for money and searched his car and took his USB stick. It was only after he said he wanted to contact his family and lawyer that the men backed off, allowing him to leave. The man’s father submitted a full report to the directorate, but the family have not been contacted by the authority, and attempts to get updates on the case have been unsuccessful. Last Monday, The Star reported on the incident involving Cerqueira. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras, showing two police officers dragging him from his car and arresting him for possession of dagga that was allegedly found in his car, even though video footage shows a search had turned up no such drug. Now, he and his mother have charged the two officers with assault, while Cerqueira’s lawyer has also laid charges of unlawful arrest, attempted extortion and illegal imprisonment. Andre Snyman, of eBlockwatch, has called on others in the Sandton cluster to report any incidents of police intimidation, harassment or assault, so that cases can be brought against the station, which he says has been guilty of such crimes for years. The station came under fire in December, when two young women claimed they were raped by two officers. Last month, it was also announced that a gang of police impersonators had been terrorising the northern suburbs, and had hijacked numerous residents with equipment they had received from legitimate police. With the public still wary of police officers, Snyman recommended that drivers pulled over by police officers do so at places of safety with CCTV cameras, such as petrol stations. He also asked that drivers take advantage of eBlockwatch’s Police the Police system. When you’re pulled over, you can dial 082 236 0003, which will take you to a line that records your conversation as long as the call is held. It will also send an SMS to four friends or family that can listen to the recording and determine if you need help. It then sends a message to your local police station, which can also determine if the situation has turned illegal or even violent and will allow eBlockwatch to trace your phone. Even if you are not a member of eBlockwatch, the conversation will still be recorded and reported to eBlockwatch, but they will not have your information. You will be able to contact them for a copy of the recording if necessary, however. To use the service, all you need to do is register as a member of eBlockwatch for free on its website, http://www.eblockwatch.co.za
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