Assault
claims against Edenvale police officers pile up
Three
more motorists claim they were intimidated, beaten & arrested for being
drunk.
Screengrab
of alleged rogue policemen at the Edenvale Police Station.
JOHANNEBSURG
- Three more motorists have come forward following Carte Blanche’s expose
on rogue police officers from Edenvale, accused of harassing, assaulting and
arresting motorists for no reason.
Carte Blanche interviewed three men who claim they were beaten
and assaulted by a police constable, the one case dates back to
2013.
The
officer, identified by victims as 'the man with the golden tooth' and believed
to be involved in all attacks, has now been served with a suspension
letter while top managers will also face an internal investigation because they
didn’t take action at the time.
A man,
who doesn’t want to be identified, claims he was also intimidated and arrested
for being drunk even though he was a passenger and his wife at the wheel.
The
alleged incident happened a year ago, also in the Edenvale area, and now he is
planning to immigrate.
“I was
put in the van, driven to at high speed and threatened. When I got to the
police station, a comment was also passed that no white policeman will take a
white guy out of jail.”
An East
Rand man has also come forward since the Carte Blanche investigation
with similar claims.
“I got a
beating from a policeman. I’m disabled, I’m in a wheelchair and this guy took
advantage of that. There was not much I could do.”
Gauteng
police have said it’s unacceptable that the public fear police officers and
action will be taken.
The
police’s Mashadi Selepe said they will not tolerate any abuse by officers.
“We have
zero tolerance in all matters involving brutality or any other form of abuse of
human rights. If we have a situation where people are even scared to get into a
police station it raises concern.”
Meanwhile,
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba on Monday gave strict instructions
for the entire Edenvale Police Station’s management to be investigated and for
one specific officer to be served with a notice of suspension.
The police
top management were locked in meetings all day on Monday and said they took
these claims extremely seriously.
The
police’s Mashadi Selepe said it’s unacceptable that citizens must fear the very
police officers who are supposed to protect them.
“It's indeed
a concern to us. We can’t have this situation, other than people coming to the
police station to open case, a police station is meant to be a central place to
assist people.”
Police
said they view these claims in a serious light and will ensure appropriate
punishment is meted out.
(Edited
by Winnie Theletsane)
