Police brutality caught on
camera
Shocking
video footage of police brutality during a raid in Matsulu upsets hundreds of
residents.
15
November 2013 06:01
One
of the victims, Mr Lucky Malele.
MATSULU
– Members of this community are threatening to take to the streets in protest
against the infamous police unit, the Tactical Response Team, better known as
amaBeret.
This
comes shortly after the so-called elite police unit, joined by regular members
of the SAPS and of the Community Policing Forum, raided local taverns where
they assaulted patrons for no apparent reason.
Lowvelder
has reported numerous times on the unnecessary force used by TRT members in
their fight against crime. In fact, in August, the High Court in Gauteng
ordered the minister of police to pay the damages Mr Jan Coetzee could prove
after being brutally assaulted by TRT members at his home at Gomgat in February
2011. He had to be hospitalised and receive a blood transfusion after they shot
him with rubber bullets at close range.
This
week a local TV station showed a video of the incident in Matsulu which was
recorded by CCTV cameras in one of the taverns. The footage shows how the TRT
and SAPS stomped into one of the taverns ordering, patrons to lie down. They
proceeded to beat and kick them and even emptied liquor bottles onto them.
Speaking
to this paper, the organiser of the planned protest, who identified himself
only as Mavuka, said the community was now sick and tired of the treatment they
receive from members of the TRT.
“We
have submitted a memorandum to the Matsulu Police Station commander to ask for
his intervention in this regard, but to date we have received no correspondence
from him and hence we are now going to embark on a protest never such as this
town has never before experienced,” he threatened.
This
journalist personally went to see the Matsulu police commissioner about this
matter, but he refused an interview.
One
of the victims, Mr Lucky Malele who suffered head injuries after he was
assaulted by the TRT, painted a rather sad picture of what happened on the
night of October 26.
“We
were chilling with friends when suddenly they came in and ordered everyone to
lie down. We did as they asked and they started searching everyone there but
couldn’t find anything and after that, they ordered all the females to go out.
That is when they started assaulting us for no reason at all,” he said.
He
added that they were even denied their right to lodge formal complaints with
the Matsulu police, but said he then went to report the matter to the
Independent Police Investigative Directorate which took up the case.
Brig
SelvyMohlala, provincial police spokesman, said on enquiry, that they were
still studying the video and would comment at a later stage.
•
View a video of the assault in a Matsulu tavern online
INFO
BLOCK:
Other
instances of police brutality displayed by TRT members, on whichLowvelder has
reported, include:
• In
January 2011, Mr HenkKaldenberg was apparently assaulted by TRT members when he
was on his way back from holiday in the Kruger National Park.
•
Const Eugene Mambane, a TRT member, was charged with assault with intent to do
grievous bodily harm and the discharge of a firearm in public. It followed
after he had allegedly shot at an unarmed man in Rob Ferreira Hospital’s foyer.
•
ConstHlayisaneNyathi, stationed at the KaBokweni Police Station was apparently
manhandled by members of the TRT to such an extent that he sustained internal
bleeding and had to be hospitalised.
•
The mother of a teenager opened a civil case after her son was so badly
assaulted that his genitals were permanently damaged.
•
Another case was opened by a man who was allegedly doing illegal spinning moves
with his vehicle and was shot with live R5 rifle bullets.
• On
August 30, a Nelspruit woman was allegedly assaulted, called a “white bitch”
and threatended with a rifle by a member of the TRT. The case is currently
being investigated by the IPID.
http://youtu.be/2kjU59KX79Y
