Farmer Emile
van der Merwe threatened with knife by police after false arrest, Ventersdorp
Sept 05 2011
Source: Marisa Phillips
of Volksblad, Sept 6 2011 who writes that a young
farmer, Emile van der Merwe, 19, who had gone to the Cape to the Free State six
months ago to work at his grandmother’s sheep-farm, is so traumatised by the
victimisation and threats from police officers in Ventersburg when he was
arrested for no legal reason, that he now fears to sleep in the homestead,
fearing they will be back. While at the police station between 1am and 4am
Sunday-morning, he also saw another ‘suspect’ assaulted by between six to 8
police officers who even threw the man against a wall. Van der Merwe was
enroute from Ventersburg to Hennenman on a rural road at Sundaymorning 1am to
visit friends when he was pulled over by cops in a ‘blue light’ vehicle. Two
black officers jumped out and accused him of ‘being drunk’. They searched him
and his entire bakkie and then threw him — without any kind of explanations –
in the back of the police van: one officer drove him to the police station, the
second one followed in the bakkie belonging to the young man’s grandmother, and
which he was allowed to drive. He asked to call someone from the police station
but they refused. Then they accused of ‘stealing the bakkie’. I told them it
was my employer’s bakkie. I gave them his grandmother’s telephone number. He
was deliberately humiliated, being ordered to SIT DOWN ON THE FLOOR next to the
row of empty chairs in the charge office. He repeatedly asked if he could make
a phone call.It was repeatedly refused. Then he saw between eight and ten cops
assaulting a man in the charge office. “They even threw him against the wall’.
One officer waved a switchblade-knife in front of his face and threated to cut
him if he did not ‘confess that he had stolen the bakkie’. “I told them to call
the owner. I was terrified, did not know what was going to happen. He said the
other police officers ignored the illegal actions of their comrade. One of the
officers in the charge office said ‘his blood must be drawn’ but this never
happened.He was terrorised like this for three hours. At 4am they gave him his
keys and he left. He believed that they might have stolen some of his cheques
from the bakkie – he will get verification from the bank. He has submitted a
formal charge. “People must know. I cannot remain silent. I was victimised and
illegally detained.” Warrant officer Malebo Khosana, confirmed that Van der
Merwe lodged a complaint which wil be investigated. The investigation will be
conducted by the Hennenman police station.
