Man slams lack of action against cop
February 24 2014 at 12:35pm
By ANGELIQUE SERRAO
By ANGELIQUE SERRAO
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
Clifford Molefe laid
an official complaint against the officer for illegal arrest. Picture:
Itumeleng English
Johannesburg - A Soweto man who claims
to have been pistol-whipped, pepper-sprayed and assaulted is furious that no
disciplinary action has been taken against the police officer he alleges
orchestrated the attack.
The man laid an official complaint
against the officer for illegal arrest, but instead the policeman was promoted
to colonel while there were charges against him.
Clifford Molefe accused
Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Molopyane of having an affair with his wife, and he
laid a charge against him after he alleged the police officer had tried to run
him over.
Molopyane in turn laid a charge of
intimidation against Molefe.
Molefe said that in January 2012 he had
been talking with friends in Meadowlands when a number of police vehicles
stopped and surrounded them. He claimed he and his friends were assaulted and
pepper-sprayed. He alleged Molopyane was present and was in charge. He said he
was put into a police van and driven to his house, where his car keys,
cellphone and money were allegedly stolen.
Molefe said he was then taken to
Lyttelton police station in Tshwane, where he was later released on medical
grounds.
During his ordeal, he claimed he was
slapped, hit with the butt of a gun repeatedly, and his handcuffs were twisted
to cut into his wrists. Molefe said he was assaulted in front of his child.
“She was hugging me, so they slapped
and pushed her away. She was 14 at the time,” he said.
Molefe then went to the provincial
commissioner’s office to lay a complaint against Molopyane, as the police
officer worked at the head office. A brigadier was appointed to look at the
case. A provincial investigation’s report completed last January and seen by
The Star indicates there was wrongdoing on behalf of the police, and that they
had interviewed numerous witnesses who corroborated Molefe’s story and who were
also assaulted.
“A minor stated that she was thrown to
the ground by an unknown policeman during her father’s arrest. She also stated
that the police assaulted her father during this process,” the report said.
The report recommended that Molopyane
be departmentally charged.
Molefe said that at this stage he was
informed by the police that an internal disciplinary process would be brought
against Molopyane, but for some reason, he understands this never went ahead.
Molopyane then received a promotion to colonel and was transferred.
Molefe then took his complaint to the
Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
A report seen by The Star says the
directorate found that Molopyane’s actions constituted “serious misconduct”,
and they believed he should be placed on special leave.
But Molefe said nothing had been done,
and he has now reported the matter to the national commissioner’s office.
Molopyane denied any wrongdoing and
said Molefe had been waging a vendetta against him. He said Molefe was
threatening to kill his children and was phoning his wife, alleging he had had
an affair. He said he opened a charge of intimidation, and it was the Lyttelton
police who had decided to arrest Molefe.
“I never touched him, but the only
person he is after is me, not the other policemen who allegedly assaulted him.
He is pestering everyone, complaining nonstop,” said Molopyane. “I am
subjecting myself to the process. I have been departmentally charged and it has
gone to the bargaining council, where an independent person can look at the
case.”
Provincial spokesman Brigadier Neville
Malila said the original complainant to the matter was not Molefe, but his
brother, and they could not take the complaint further until he himself
complained.
“At the time of Mr Molopyane’s
promotion, no formal complaint or departmental investigation was received or
was outstanding from this office,” said Malila. He said Molefe was not happy
when he was told this.
“It appears he has a personal vendetta
against Mr Molopyane, and indicated he won’t rest until he is destroyed,”
Malila said.
Molefe said he just wanted proper
action taken after the findings of formal investigations recommended that
Molopyane be charged.
angelique.serrao@inl.co.za
The Star
