Mervyn Cirota
19 October 2011
Mervyn Cirota says officer allegedly grabbed R1,000 in cash after extortion attempt went nowhere
JMPD OFFICER STEALS CASH FROM MOTORIST AFTER THREATS AND INTIMIDATION.
It has been brought to the attention of the Democratic Alliance in the city of Johannesburg that on the 13th October at approximately 1530 at the Marlboro off ramp Sandton a JMPD officer allegedly removed R1000.00 from the wallet of Mr Johan Van Zyl after intimidating and threatening him with imprisonment.
DA Shadow member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety in Johannesburg who has investigated the matter and interviewed the complainant expressed his dismay and anger at the allegations .He has called for an urgent meeting with the chief of JMPD to facilitate an urgent investigation into the matter and the immediate suspension of the JMPD official.If true these allegations are part of what is becoming a disturbing trend of unlawful activities by certain law enforcement officers in the JMPD, where they intimidate law abiding citizens in order to extort payment from them.The DA views any criminal behaviour by JMPD officials in the most serious light and particularly when it relates to bribery and extortion.
Mr Van Zyl was stopped by a JMPD official on his way home .He was requested to produce his drivers licence which he did.He then checked the car registration number and compared it to the cars number plates .The JMPD official claimed that the vehicle was stolen and despite attempts by Mr Van Zyl to explain that the discrepancy was due to an error in the issuing of the token by their licensing department the JMPD official refused to believe him and threatened to arrest him and accused him of being a criminal and fraudster and that he would be impounding his car.
The officer then began a verbal attack against Mr Van Zyl which continued for about half an hour.
He then advised that Mr van Zyl must remove all his belongings from the car. He then ordered him to sit in his car whilst he spoke to a fellow colleague standing close by. He then joined him in the car and began a concerted effort to scare and intimidate him by advising that him that in jai lhe would most probably be assaulted and raped. He then asked him what he (Mr Van Zyl )can do for him "to make all of this go away".
At that stage he returned Mr Van Zyl's driver's license to him .MR vanZyl took out his wallet to return his license to it and without warning the officer grabbed his wallet and removed all the cash from it ,which was approximately R1000.
He then told him to leave .He did not charge Mr Van Zyl with any offence but scared and intimidated him for over half an hour with as it turned out the intended purpose to extort and steal money from him.
Mr van Zyl did not obtain the officers's name but note his vehicle as BMW registration no VYL 487GP and his badge no as 51370.
Mr van Zyl has laid charges at Bramley police station under case no 215/10/2011
Cllr Cirota will be monitoring the progress of the investigation both by SAPS and JMPD .
Statement issued by Cllr Mervyn Cirota, DA Member of the Shadow Mayoral Committee for Public Safety -JHB, October 19 2011
