Police constables have appeared in the Greytown Magistrate's Court today on charges of murder, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
01 April 2011 - 17:01 By Tamlyn Canham
Five Pietermaritzburg police constables have appeared in the Greytown Magistrate's Court today on charges of murder, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
The police officers were arrested this morning following an Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) investigation into the death of 45-year-old Zamokwakhwe Mchunu from Shakaskraal.
He was killed last month after being picked up from his workplace in Ballito to point out a firearm at his home, that police had been looking for.
When it couldn't be found, Mchunu took officers to another man's house in Greytown where he claimed it would be.
But it again wasn't there and officers allegedly beat Mchunu so severely that he had to be carried back to the police van.
He later died.
The ICD's Moses Dlamini says, though, that at the time the officers phoned Greytown police station with a different story.
"Their story was that the deceased indicated that he wanted to urinate, and then they took the handcuffs off after which he grabbed the police firearm. They said that the deceased had fired two shots at police, who returned fire hitting the deceased on the chest, and he died instantly."
Dlamini says a post mortem revealed that Mchunu was already dead when he was shot. The suspects will appear in court next Thursday for a bail application.
Five Pietermaritzburg police constables have appeared in the Greytown Magistrate's Court today on charges of murder, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
The police officers were arrested this morning following an Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) investigation into the death of 45-year-old Zamokwakhwe Mchunu from Shakaskraal.
He was killed last month after being picked up from his workplace in Ballito to point out a firearm at his home, that police had been looking for.
When it couldn't be found, Mchunu took officers to another man's house in Greytown where he claimed it would be.
But it again wasn't there and officers allegedly beat Mchunu so severely that he had to be carried back to the police van.
He later died.
The ICD's Moses Dlamini says, though, that at the time the officers phoned Greytown police station with a different story.
"Their story was that the deceased indicated that he wanted to urinate, and then they took the handcuffs off after which he grabbed the police firearm. They said that the deceased had fired two shots at police, who returned fire hitting the deceased on the chest, and he died instantly."
Dlamini says a post mortem revealed that Mchunu was already dead when he was shot. The suspects will appear in court next Thursday for a bail application.
