Man claims police assaulted him 11 years ago in Masoyi
What enrages him the most is he cannot have children of his own allegedly due to the injuries he suffered on that day.
A community member from Masoyi wants the local SAPS to be investigated and prosecuted for the injuries he allegedly suffered in the police holding cells 11 years ago.
The events of the night of January 30, 2010 are still vivid in the mind of the now 27-year-old, Sibusiso Hadzebe (not his real name).
“I was accused of rape, arrested at around 15:45 and placed in a tiny holding cell in Masoyi. That evening I was severely assaulted by two policemen who accused me of not telling the truth. One of them painfully grabbed my genitals while the other hit me with the back of the firearm all over my body from around 17:30 to midnight. They didn’t leave me alone, even when I told them I have no clue regarding the case. They only stopped beating me after seeing that I had soiled myself and was unconscious,” he said.
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Hadzebe said he begged to be taken to hospital, but nobody listened to his cries. The following morning he was taken to KaBokweni Magistrate’s Court where the he was apparently told by the investigating officer to be strong, to walk properly so that the magistrate would not notice that he was injured. “I was released on free bail and the matter was transferred to the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court. Each time the matter was schedule either the lawyer or the investigating officer was be absent. The matter kept on being postponed. It was provincially withdrawn in 2012.
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“Since that fateful day, my genitals have never recovered. They will swell and hurt now and then.” Towards the end of 2012 he went for surgery. “I don’t have a baby of my own and I am now old enough to be a father. I suspect this has to do with the police beating in 2010,” he said. Col Donald Mdhluli confirmed that an assault case against the SAPS had been opened at Masoyi Police Station. It was transferred to the Independent Police Directorate (Ipid).
