Claims of torture, attacks by cops
By Mckeed Kotlolo. | Sep 27, 2010 |
SCORES
of community leaders and their families in the former KwaNdebele homeland in
Mpumalanga are living in fear and others have fled their homes, citing recent
police attacks against them.
CAPTION: BEREAVED: Betty Shabangu
The homes of numerous community
leaders in the Dr JS Moroka municipality in Siyabuswa were raided and their
houses damaged.
Victims of the violence include a
67-year-old granny, Betty Shabangu, and her "sickly" 19-year-old
granddaughter Nomsa Mahlangu.
They allegedly wet themselves when
they were suffocated with refuse bags, kicked, punched and electrocuted by
members of the Middelburg Serious and Violent Crime Unit, who were
interrogating them.
Some of the leaders claim they were
coerced into sign statements implicating executive mayor Ina Masombuka, popular
businessman Richard Vilakazi and Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza in an arson
case.
The arson case is fromthe torching
of local municipal manager Monica Mathebela's Marabastad Section house on June
29 this year.
The house was allegedly set alight
after the community submitted a memorandum accusing the manager of corruption,
nepotism and financial mismanagement, and also calling for her immediate
suspension.
As a result, seven community leaders
were arrested in raids from July 21 to 23 by heavily armed police in convoys of
unmarked vehicles.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson
Captain Leonard Hlathi declined to comment and referred all enquiries to the
Independent Complaints Directorate, whose Moses Dlamini confirmed they were
handling the matter as investigations continued.
Those arrested and released after
paying R5000 bail each on Thursday are Dudu Mhlanga, 39, of Marothobolong -
released after two days; Joseph Shabangu; Dr JS Moroka Community Forum
chairperson Solly Mahlangu; Mpho Mahlangu; Paul Mthimunye and Alfred Skhosana,
ANC Kameel Rivier branch secretary.
Elijah Mashiloane was also released
after two days of alleged extreme torture. He was re-arrested on August 31 and
released on September 10, after being accused of armed robberies and the bombing
of ATMs.
Shabangu said police broke down
doors and windowpanes, "assaulted me and my two grandchildren, including
Nomsa, who was sick at the time and died a week later. My granddaughter died
hating the police."
Mashiloane and the rest of the
detainees described the line of interrogation as probably worse than the
apartheid-style torture.
On arrival at Middelburg SVC unit's
offices, their interrogators confessed that "we did not torch the
manager's house", but insisted "we implicate the local mayor, Papa Rich
and the premier as sponsors of the arson.
"When we refused, they took us
alone for interrogation. I heard strong men like Alfred screaming and there was
silence in between."
