Sept 5 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.รข€ 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.
http://afrikaans.news24.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Jong-boer-aangehou-met-mes-gedreig-20110906
