Did cops
cover up police station death?
8
April 2016, 2:51pm
Bernadette
Wolhuter
Durban - Last month’s glory could be this month’s disgrace for
KwaZulu-Natal police.
Early last month, officers received high praise for arresting
four suspected armed robbers just moments after they had allegedly raided a
store at a KwaMashu shopping mall and tried to blow up a local ATM.
A “suspect” subsequently died in hospital and police issued a
statement at the time, saying another was killed at a police station when he
tried to disarm an officer who was taking down his statement and a scuffle
ensued.
Now, however, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate
(Ipid) is investigating claims that the police station shooting was, in fact,
an accidental discharge and that officers tried to pin the blame on the other
two “suspects’’.
These “suspects” - who were released without appearing in court
- met the Daily News on Thursday to recount their version of events. They said
they had not heard from the police since.
Sabelo Ngema, 27, said that early on Wednesday, March 2, he was
at his home and received a phone call from a friend who stayed nearby: he had
been shot and needed a lift to hospital.
Ngema’s friend later died and the circumstances surrounding his
shooting were unclear.
Ngema did not have a car, so he contacted another friend, who
dropped Ngema and the injured man at the local clinic.
While there, Ngema met two others whom he and his friend knew:
Xolani Biyela, 29, and Zamokwakhe Ndlovu, 24.
A short while later, police stormed the clinic and arrested
Ngema and Biyela.
Ngema said they were taken to the parking lot where they were
kicked and slapped.
Both he and Biyela showed the Daily News team scars and open
wounds, which they said they sustained during the assault.
Police then arrested Ndlovu too and all three were taken to
KwaMashu police station.
They were handcuffed and placed in a “back room” at the station.
After some time, a police officer came in.
He was either cleaning his firearm or checking it was safe,
Ngema said. “I heard it cock,” he said, “and then it went off, loudly.”
The next thing he knew, officers stormed the room, shouting.
“They kept asking us why we had tried to take the policeman’s firearm,” he
said. “But we didn’t, I was cuffed to Biyela and Zamokwakhe was also
handcuffed.” Ngema looked to the floor and his voice grew quiet, as he recalled
hearing Ndlovu’s final words.
“He was crying, asking what he was dying for,” he said.
Over the next two days, Ngema and Biyela were allegedly shuffled
from police station to police station and repeatedly interrogated, but they
stuck to their story and on the Friday they were released.
Ndlovu’s brother, Nhlakanipho, 23, said Ndlovu was the sole
breadwinner in his family of 11 - among them a sickly sister, an elderly
grandmother and three small children.
“We are suffering,” he said. “Zamokwakhe used to help our sister
with her asthma medication and since his death she has been suffering from
attacks that the doctor says are as a result of the stress.”
Faizel Kara, a lawyer acting on behalf of Ndlovu’s family as
well as Ngema and Biyela, said this case was a prime example of abuse of power.
“They think that because these people are poor, they can get
away with it,” he said of the police.
Ipid spokesman, Robbie Raburabu, said the directorate was
investigating.
Daily News
