Men accuse police of alleged brutality

MARBLE HALL – Two residents of Koteng informal settlement outside Marble Hall allege they were recently assaulted by police.

The duo alleges that they were accosted by police when on their way to buy food from one of the shops in town in the early hours of the morning at about 02:30 recently.

According to the two an altercation ensued when police stopped them that morning and started asking them what they doing in town.

Edward Mofokeng, a complainant, said one of the police officers wanted to know why the two didn’t cook at their residence.

“When we tried to explain ourselves to them, they started hurling insults at us. A heated exchange of words resulted. They drove away and made a u-turn a few metres away in our direction. They then forced us into the back of the police van. They drove with us to Marble Hall police station where they locked up the man I was with in the waiting cell. I was then taken to the back of the station and beaten until I was unconscious. When I woke up, I tried to flee but fell in the middle of the road in front of the station and they continued assaulting me until I was again unconscious,” explained Edward.

Eddie Monareng, also a claimant, said the officers came back to him as he was locked up in the waiting cells, took him to the back of the station and conducted a search on him before they let him go.

“Edward was still lying unconscious in the middle of the road and a passerby saw what was going on and helped us to call an ambulance which took him to hospital,” further said Monareng.

Monareng claimed the police were reluctant to help them open a case against their members following the alleged incident and were allegedly told they could only do so when the implicated police officers were on duty.

However, the two said they finally managed to open a case days after they sought help from attorneys in Groblersdal who advised them to get a form from hospital, which would prove that Mofokeng was admitted after suffering injuries.

“I am still in pain and that is affecting my work because I can’t report for duty as my body is still sore from the attack,” concluded Mofokeng.

Sergeant Lethunya Mmuroa, Marble Hall Police Spokesperson, would not be drawn into details of the case, however, he confirmed a case of assault was opened at the station. The paper is in possession of the case number.