Community
takes action against police brutality
Regan Thaw
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape police view
brutality allegations levelled against several Steenberg officers in a very
serious light, officials said on Monday.
Eleven residents claim Steenberg
police officers assaulted and wrongfully arrested them over a period of time.
Lawyer Bruce Hendricks has taken up
their plight and has approached the Western Cape High Court in a bid to prevent
officers from targeting community members.
He is seeking an urgent court
interdict.
“Our next court date is 22 November,
which is the final date for a hearing on this matter. There are 11 applicants
in this matter and we have a senior counsel who will be representing us in this
matter.”
A Steenberg community member, who
said he wanted to remain anonymous for fears of being targeted, recounted how
he was interrogated.
“They pull plastic bags over your
head; they keep hitting you with sticks. If I had done something wrong, I
should have been put in jail, but I didn’t do anything wrong, I was falsely
accused.”
Western Cape police have confirmed
the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is currently probing
numerous complaints.
(Edited by Tamsin Wort)
