Cops beat me up, claims woman
2011-05-24 08:11
Etienne Marais
East London - An Eastern Cape woman claims she was severely beaten up
by police officers outside the East London Airport over the weekend,
the Daily Dispatch reported on Tuesday.
Lulama Feni, 34, said she was assaulted so badly on Saturday evening
that doctors at Frere Hospital told her that her face had been
fractured "numerous times".
Feni said her pleas to the officers to stop only incited their anger.
She said after the beating officers threw her in the back of the
police van and took her to the Fleet Street police station. She claims
officers continued to beat her there.
Feni was released on Monday morning but went back at the station to
open a case of police brutality.
When the Dispatch interviewed Feni outside the police station on
Monday, she could barely speak.
She had deep cuts on both sides of her face and her eyes were swollen
shut.
"I am unable to walk properly and the blood does not stop flowing from
my lips and nose," she said.
Arrest for fraud
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said the woman and
her brother were arrested for fraud.
"Circumstances are still not clear ... at this stage as to what
happened. All we know is police were called to a complaint of fake
R200 notes at a tavern," he said, adding that police were
investigating further.
However, Feni dismissed the charges and said she was on her way home
with her boyfriend when they saw police officers arresting her brother-
in-law.
She said after trying to ask the officers why they were arresting her
brother-in-law, they became angry and started to "slap" him around.
"I tried to intervene but I never even finished my question … the
police punched me in the face and I fell on the ground," she said.
Police officers then reportedly kicked her until she stopped moving.
The woman and her brother-in-law will appear in the East London
Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
- SAPA
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