A specialised police unit has been accused of causing havoc by taking the law into its own hands.
|||A specialised police unit operating in Heideveld and Manenberg has been accused of causing havoc by taking the law into its own hands, making false arrests and allegedly torturing detainees.
In the past week alone, two cases of false arrest and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm have been brought against the unit after it arrested and beat four men, according to Western Cape community police forum chairman Hanif Loonat.
A case against the officers has also been registered with the Independent Complaints Directorate.
Residents said the unit, stationed at Manenberg police station and using that station’s vehicles, did not wear name badges. But they were adamant they were members of the tactical response team.
Loonat agreed that the officers who had reportedly been assaulting people in Manenberg and Heideveld were probably from the unit.
In the most recent incident last Sunday, Nico Wentzel, 19, and Theswill Solomons, 24, were visiting their friend, Gareth Arendse, 18, near Susan Court in Heideveld, when they noticed several police surrounding a small crowd.
They saw a man throw a stone at one of the police officers. It bounced off the officer and hit a police vehicle.
Twenty minutes later, the police allegedly attacked them, accusing Wentzel of having thrown the stone.
This week Wentzel told Weekend Argus that he had been wearing a T-shirt similar to the one worn by the person who threw the stone.
“I tried to explain, but they wouldn’t listen. The residents outside told the cops they were making a mistake and named the guy who threw the stone, and even offered to take them to his house, but they wouldn’t listen.”
When the youngster refused to get into the van, he said, one of the officers put him in a chokehold and, with five other officers, threw him in.
When Solomons tried to help his friend, he was also thrown into the van.
His brother, Marco Solomons, 26, ran to help too, but he claims the officers used pepper spray to blind him, and choked him until he passed out.
The police also allegedly grabbed another of their friends, Henry Hermanus. Marco’s wife Anneline was also allegedly assaulted when she tried to reach her husband
Marco said this week that when he woke up in the back of a police van the nightmare began.
“We were in the van with some other guys we didn’t know, but we were all clearly scared. They took us to an interrogation room at Manenberg police station where they told us they were going show us who’s the p**s and who’s the boss.”
The group allege they were handcuffed and beaten.
“They hit us and kicked us, and even jumped on our backs,” Marco said.
“They threw us to the ground and kicked us in the head. All we could do was watch as our friends and my brother were beaten. At one point they kicked me in the stomach so hard I passed out and woke up to find I had defecated on myself, and my kidney started swelling.”
Theswill Solomons said he was rammed head-first into a wall.
“They kept telling us ‘you think you’re heroes’ and ‘you’re in my house now and I will show you who’s the f**king hero’. They warned us that if we crossed them in any way they would come after us and our families.”
After 40 minutes the four were thrown into a holding cell and were later processed and charged.
Wentzel was charged with assaulting a police officer and damage to State property, and the others were charged with interference.
They were released the next morning on R300 bail each.
Wentzel and Marco have since laid charges against the officers at the Athlone police station. Theswill and Hermanus indicated they were planning to do the same.
Wentzel said he suffered injuries to his testicles when police allegedly grabbed them. Marco showed boot marks on his back and sides which he said were inflicted during the assault.
Wentzel said he was able to identify two of the officers when he returned to the police station with his father Peter Wentzel.
Loonat said this was not the first such case he had heard of.
“We’ve had dozens of complaints, but sadly people are scared to report the cases to the police in an official capacity. But with these two cases I’m sure we may be able to launch an investigation.”
Such cases, he added, would be taken straight to the provincial police commissioner.
“People cannot be treated this way, whether or not they are criminals. It is up to the courts to decide whether someone is innocent or guilty, and no one has the power to take the law into their own hands, not even police officers,” he said.
On Friday, when approached again after earlier requests for comment, police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said he had tried to contact Manenberg police station, but could not get any response. He suggested contacting Manenberg police station commander Brigadier Andre van Dyk. Van Dyk could not be reached for comment.
kowthar.solomons@inl.co.za - Weekend Argus