Len Cloete greets wife ‘with a kiss’, on road to recovery

Private investigator Mike Bolhuis on Thursday confirmed Len Cloete is in a “stage of recovery after being moved from the intensive care unit to undergo rehabilitation”.

He said the 59-year-old Cloete – who had been in a coma since 15 November when he was shot after arguing with police officers and seizing one officer’s firearm – is doing much better.

According to Cloete’s wife, Chantal, he regained consciousness on Friday, 17 December. Doctors kept Cloete in a coma to perform two operations on his brain and skull. 

Len Cloete update

A ‘total miracle’

Bolhuis said Cloete is awake and recognises his wife. Feeling and movement is returning to his body and he can “greet Chantal with his eyes”.

“She kisses him in the morning, afternoon, and evening and he returns the kiss”. (“Sy soen hom môre, middag, en aand, en hy soen terug“).

Bolhuis described Cloete’s recovery as “a total miracle”.

Cloete’s recovery

Back in December, Chantal shared a Facebook post in which she said how proud she was of her husband who is “fighting his way back” to his loved ones.

“To look into your one eye today and look into your soul and tell you how much I love you, meant so much to me”.

(“Om vandag in jou een ogie te kon kyk en jou siel te sien en jou te vertel dat ek jou bitter lief het, het so baie vir my beteken“.)

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No arrests

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) investigated the shooting – which took place at a Muldersdrift lodge in November – and said there would not be an arrest “any time soon”.

The directorate’s spokesperson, Grace Langa, said, “we have not arrested any police officers, [and] there won’t be any arrest unless there is a reason”.

“For now we do not have a reason at all to arrest any of the police officers in that incident.”

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) also came to the defence of the officers of the South African Police Service (Saps) in December.

Shooting ‘justified’

Popcru believes the police’s actions were completely justified.

“The officers found their lives were in danger and acted accordingly, which must be deemed as justifiable,” the union said in a statement.

The union said while it is against any form of brutality – be it against civilians or law enforcement agencies – the incident was regrettable, especially when the police are subjected to abusive behaviour.

“They are often subjected to the abusive behaviour such as that portrayed in the clip by the person of interest, demonstrating a high level of disdain for the constitutionally-mandated tasks that these officers carry out with commitment.”

Additional reporting by Siyanda Ndlovu.

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