IPID probe KZN
police brutality allegations
Thursday 8 January 2015 06:07
Nonjabulo Mntungwa
Police have opened an inquest docket
and the IPID has confirmed that it is investigating the incident.(SABC)
The Independent Police Investigative
Directorate (IPID) is investigating yet another case of alleged police
brutality in the rural parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
This is after a 59-year-old Zenzele Tshabala was allegedly assaulted and later died in police cells in Ezakheni in Ladysmith.
He had been arrested during a police raid in Mngwenya area on Sunday night in a search for illegal firearms.
Police accused Tshabala of keeping illegal firearms.
His family members who were sleeping in other rondavels claim police locked Tshabalala inside his rondavel and assaulted him after they did not find the firearms.
They say police then took him in for questioning and he never returned home.
The following day when they went to see Tshabalala at the police station they were uninformed he had died.
This is after a 59-year-old Zenzele Tshabala was allegedly assaulted and later died in police cells in Ezakheni in Ladysmith.
He had been arrested during a police raid in Mngwenya area on Sunday night in a search for illegal firearms.
Police accused Tshabala of keeping illegal firearms.
His family members who were sleeping in other rondavels claim police locked Tshabalala inside his rondavel and assaulted him after they did not find the firearms.
They say police then took him in for questioning and he never returned home.
The following day when they went to see Tshabalala at the police station they were uninformed he had died.
We want answers from these police.
They must tell us what led to my brother's death.
Tshabalala's
brother Ngangampi says police refused to explain what had led to his brother’s
death.
“We want answers from these police. They must tell us what led to my brother's death. When we went to visit him at police station we were greeted by his corpse. Nobody told us what happened to him. We want justice, police can’t continue like this,” he says.
Ward councillor, Bhekokwakhe Majola says this is not the first incident of alleged police brutality to be reported in the Mngwenya area.
Majola says many of these incidents go unpunished. “Many incidents like these have occurred in this area [and] many incidents go unpunished. Police think they can just take advantage of people here because it’s a rural area,” adds Majola.
He says community members are now living in fear and have lost trust in the police.
“The community is very worried and concerned about these incidents. They are afraid of becoming next victims. They have lost hope in the police,” he adds.
Police have opened an inquest docket and the IPID has confirmed that it is investigating the incident.
Tshabalala will be laid to rest on Sunday.
He is survived by his wife and four daughters.
“We want answers from these police. They must tell us what led to my brother's death. When we went to visit him at police station we were greeted by his corpse. Nobody told us what happened to him. We want justice, police can’t continue like this,” he says.
Ward councillor, Bhekokwakhe Majola says this is not the first incident of alleged police brutality to be reported in the Mngwenya area.
Majola says many of these incidents go unpunished. “Many incidents like these have occurred in this area [and] many incidents go unpunished. Police think they can just take advantage of people here because it’s a rural area,” adds Majola.
He says community members are now living in fear and have lost trust in the police.
“The community is very worried and concerned about these incidents. They are afraid of becoming next victims. They have lost hope in the police,” he adds.
Police have opened an inquest docket and the IPID has confirmed that it is investigating the incident.
Tshabalala will be laid to rest on Sunday.
He is survived by his wife and four daughters.
