Facebook has turned into a controversial battlefield after an alleged assault in Kriel Police Station over the weekend.
Mr Lourens Erasmus makes no secret of the fact that he had lost all his respect for the police after the alleged assault that happened in the early hours of the morning on February 6.
A clear handprint is visible on Mr Lourens Erasmus’ back.
When Erasmus posted photos of his injuries after the alleged assault comments were flying on Facebook sparking a hot debate over effectiveness of the SAPS, the local community policing forum and also the Kriel 911 Zello group.
Erasmus said his ordeal started when he tried to do the right thing and report a suspicious car while smoking a cigarette in his yard.
“I woke up at around 03:00 and after I went to the bathroom I stood outside to have a cigarette when I saw a suspicious looking silver Mazda. I asked what they were doing here so early in the morning, they then just drove off,” Erasmus said.
He dialled 112 to inform the police, gave his address and was transferred to Kriel SAPS.
“The first time the policewoman said they do not have a vehicle as it was sent to Rietspruit and she slammed the phone down. The second time she again slammed down the phone. Just moments after I tried to again speak to the police, a police van stopped in front of my house.”
The policeman allegedly asked Erasmus to accompany them to the police station to give a statement.
Bruises and scuff marks under Mr Lourens Erasmus’s eye.
“All seemed fine, but the moment they closed the security door, leading into the police station, I knew something is horribly wrong.”
Lourens said the four policemen accused him of being a journalist and allegedly hit and kicked him.
“During the assault a sergeant stood on my throat, I could not breathe. There were so many things running through my head I thought I was going to die. You start praying and pleading ….”
Lourens said he recorded the whole assault on his phone, but all the evidence was allegedly wiped off his phone by one of the policemen.
“They realised I recorded everything when my future brother-in-law arrived and they said I attacked and assaulted them. I screamed ‘I have evidence’, they then knew I had everything on my phone.”
Mr Franswa Visser said when he received a call from Erasmus and he could not understand what he was doing at the police station that time of the morning.
“When I arrived I found Lourens handcuffed to a chair. The policemen said he assaulted them. Who walks to a police station in the early hours of the morning and assaults armed police officers in a police station, this is totally unheard of,” Visser said.
He said one of the policemen said if Erasmus doesn’t apologize they would lock him up for assaulting police officers.
There are several bruises on Mr Lourens Eramus’ body after an alleged assault this past weekend.
“I just wanted to get Lourens out of there and asked him to write an apology, which he did. When he signed it the policeman said he had to add that he assaulted them. I again asked him to do so as I did not want him to spend the rest of the night behind bars,” Visser said.
A local doctor who examined Erasmus the next day confirmed several bruises. The doctor said he sent Erasmus for scans and fortunately he sustained no internal injuries.
WITBANK NEWS has sent a query to the Mpumalanga Provincial SAPS office as well as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Ms Mpho Moete from IPID said she will converse with Mr Robbie Raburabu
Acting National Spokesperson for the entity and they will then comment on the matter.
Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Gerald Sedibe, said he will investigate the allegations and give feedback in due time.
“I have nothing commendable to say about the police. But they should know that I am taking this further. I am not going to be just another statistic when I tried to do the right thing,” Erasmus said.
