The community of Elsburg is enraged after a 22-year-old man was allegedly shot by an Elsburg policeman on September 29.
On September 30, residents picketed outside Elsburg Police Station in Wadeville, demanding the policeman be arrested.
Masixole Nkomo, who was shot, described the experience as painful.
According to Masixole, he had returned from work and decided to go check on a friend who works near the shop where he was shot.
“I was standing with my friend and the next thing there was a commotion. We were all surprised. My friends ran and I fell, only to discover I had been shot. They then handcuffed me.
“The policeman then questioned me about his family member being robbed. I explained it was not me, but he did not listen.
“I did nothing wrong but was still treated like a criminal,” said Masixole.
“The police in Elsburg have not been helpful and they are protecting their own, even though what he did was wrong.”
He said the injury has affected his performance at work.
“I have not fully healed but I had to go back to work. I work slower than usual. I do hard labour and with this injury it’s difficult.”
His father, Kholekile Nkomo, said he is heartbroken about what happened to his son.
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“My son was standing near the shop on Voortrekker Street where the alleged robbery took place. My son did not do anything wrong. I am angry as he was handcuffed while he was injured. I begged for the police to uncuff him but they never did.”
Nkomo said they opened a case at Elsburg Police Station and it was transferred to Germiston SAPS for investigation.
The father told GCN he is not satisfied with how the case has been dealt with.
“We will let the law run its course as we were told we need to let the investigating officer do his job. We have not received feedback on the progress of the case,” said Nkomo.
“I am grateful my son is alive. He could have been killed. Just because my son survived, does not make what this policeman did right.”
Const Daphney Phooko, Elsburg SAPS communications officer, said she cannot comment on the shooting as the case is with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
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“A case of common robbery was reported at Elsburg SAPS on the day of the shooting. An Elsburg police member, joined by his wife, went to a shop on Voortrekker Street. While he was inside the shop, his wife waited in the car. He heard a voice calling for help and when he looked outside he saw three men trying to remove a car radio from his vehicle while his wife was in the car,” said Phooko.
She said the officer stated when the men saw him, they grabbed his wife’s cellphone and fled.
“The officer gave chase and a warning shot was fired. One cellphone was also recovered,” said Phooko, who stated no further comment could be provided.
IPID confirmed the matter is being investigated by the directorate.
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