Police blamed, commander
outraged
News - Date: 17
August 2012
Written by: Linda van der Westhuizen /
Viewed: 549
A recent accident in Krogh
Street in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) is blamed on the way police vehicles park
in front of the Makhado police station.
When those involved in the
accident met with the local station commander regarding the incident, they were
allegedly met with severe aggressiveness.
On 31 July, a police van
was parked illegally on a yellow line in front of the Spur on the corner with
Landdros Street.
The 43-year-old Ms Salphina
Mashimbyi drove down Landdros Street and stopped at the Krogh Street junction.
Because of the police van obscuring her view, she inched forward into Krogh
Street before turning right. The next moment, she collided into the 52-year-old
Mr Japie van Staden’s vehicle.
On completion of their
statements at the charge office in Krogh Street, they went to see station
commander Colonel Francois Ramovha to enquire whether anything could be done
about the way the police vehicles park.
Mashimbyi and Van Standen
said they politely greeted Ramovha and were shown to their seats.
“The moment I mentioned the
parking of the police vehicles, it was as if someone had flipped a switch and
the station commander carried on in a most aggressive way. He said I was
disrespectful,” Van Staden said.
“The station commander was
very, very rude. He said that the government had provided the police with the
parking and that they would park there, whether we liked it or not,” Mashimbyi
added. She said that she observed Van Staden as a kind person.
Van Staden and Mashimbyi
both said that the station commander accused Van Staden of being rude. “I saw
that we were getting nowhere and got up to leave, which was when he got more
agitated and shouted all the more,” Van Staden said.
Mashimbyi said that she
stayed behind.
“Ramovha said ‘I hate his
attitude’. I told him if Mr Van Staden had approached you wrongly, just forgive
him. He opened the window looking down on the street and at that point, another
police van parked wrongly. I told him it was just by the grace of God that
people passed here every day without an accident. Then he calmed down,”
Mashimbyi said.
“All I wanted from Ramovha
was to say that they would try and do something about their parking problem.
Somebody might get killed in an accident,” Van Staden said.
The way in which police
vehicles park and the inadequate parking space in that area has been reported
on in the Zoutpansberger numerous times.
A written response was
requested from the local police spokesperson, Capt Maano Sadiki, both regarding
the behaviour of the station commander and the police vehicle parking problem.
On Tuesday, Sadiki said telephonically that the police would comply with the
request in due course. Later on the same day, Van Staden got a call from Col
Ramovha.
“He said that I had been
rude and that my intention was to get him to pay for the damage. I suppose the
tactic was to get me agitated, but fortunately I did not fall into that trap. I
feel that a station commander has the safety of the town in his hands, so to
speak, and should act responsibly,” Van Staden said.
