LIMPOPO – He explained police seemingly received a tip-off that they should arrest a boy wearing a yellow shirt whom they suspected of being in possession of drugs.
“My son was mere metres away from me when he was suddenly pinned to the ground by the police,” Chabalala explained, adding that he believes the police used excessive force to arrest his son whom he had just dropped off in town to go shopping.
He said police handcuffed him without even searching him to see if he was the person they were looking for.
“I rushed to the scene to ask why they were arresting him, by which time they were getting ready to take him to the station without verifying their facts,” Chabalala continued, adding that their commanding officer then called the officers before they left the scene and established they had arrested the wrong person.
“When they realised they arrested the wrong person, they released him without saying anything. Due to the brutality of the arrest his hands were badly swollen and we had to take him to hospital to get X-rays to determine if he sustained any injuries or fractures,” he added.
Chabalala said the worst part about the incident is that it seems no one wants to take responsibility for what happened.
“We spoke to nearly everyone at the police station, even the station commander, but they only sent us from pillar to post and now we are out of options.”
His son said he was severely traumatised by what happened. “It is very traumatising to be pinned down in public and then bundled into a police van while people look on as if you’re some sort of a dangerous criminal,” he said.
Provincial Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, said in a case like this, the victim has to open a case in order for police to investigate the matter. Ngoepe advised Chabalala to talk to the cluster commander, General Mbhazima Ngoveni, if he was experiencing any difficulties to report the matter.
Meanwhile Chabalala said he has consulted them, both the station commander and the cluster commander, but to no avail. “It seems the only option that is left open for me is to take legal action,” Chabalala said.
CV spoke to General Mbhazima Ngoveni, the cluster commander who oversees more than 10 police stations in the Mopani region, about the matter.
“The complainant might have spoken to Brigadier Jansen Ngoveni because he is a station commander there and we share the same surname. He did not speak with me about the matter, however, the doors are still open and he is welcome to come and speak with me if he is not happy with the response from the station commander. I will institute an investigation from my side,” Ngoveni said.
