Monday, April 27, 2015

Crimes of the South African Police Service

KZN family claim police assault
 ebruary 11 2015 at 02:44pm 
By MPHATHI NXUMALO

Durban - An Isipingo family has claimed they were assaulted by metro police officers over a dispute about a parking space at their business premises.
Tony Outar said his family had been traumatised by the incident.
The family has a vehicle repair business, as well as a bottle store in the complex.
His son, Ashie, 36, who was arrested, said he went to work on Saturday a week ago to find that metro police officials had parked in his business premises, even though an employee had told them not to.
Ashie parked his vehicle behind the police van and went upstairs to his premises.
“My employee then came and told me that the cops said I must remove my bakkie as they wanted to get out.”
When he went to his car, he saw a policewoman writing out a fine for his car. When he asked why he was getting a fine, he claimed she retorted: “Do you have common sense? Do you have brains? How can you park behind a police van?”
He told her that the parking space she had used belonged to him and that it was reserved for customers who came to buy from his business - and she was not doing that.
“She said she can park anywhere she wants, as she does not see my name anywhere,” Ashie recalled. After she wrote out the fine, she then threw it at him, he claimed. He took the fine, crumpled it up and threw it back at her, telling her he would wait for a summons.
“She picked up the fine and put it on my windscreen. She then walked next to my van, turned, slapped me and called me a f***ing coolie,” said an angry Ashie.
Seeing what was happening, his sister, Nolene, 25, came down from the office to ask why the policewoman had hit her brother.
Taking up the story, she said that the policewoman then assaulted her and a fight ensued.
“She slapped me and carried on pulling my hair. Chunks of my hair came out.”
By now, a large crowd had gathered and managed to stop the fight. Nolene went upstairs to the kitchen to catch her breath and get some water.
The policewoman, now accompanied by other officers, followed her and when she asked them what they were doing inside private property, told her they were police and could do whatever they wanted.
“They dragged me out of the kitchen and twisted my arm. I told them that they were hurting me. They would not even let me put my shoes on.”
She was handcuffed, put in a police van and taken to the police station with her brother Ashie and sister Shelina, who had been recording the events on her cellphone.
She was in handcuffs for two hours and her hands became swollen. She felt humiliated by the incident and has nightmares, she said.
Asked to comment, metro police spokesman, Superintendent Sibonelo Mchunu, said people should make a complaint at metro police offices.
However, police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed charges of assault, grievous bodily harm and crimen injuria had been opened for investigation by Isipingo SAPS.
No arrests had been made.
Daily News