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'Racist' cops may be charged
19/08/2005 21:13 - (SA)
Riot Hlatshwayo
Musina - Two policemen accused of assaulting a farmer and calling him names like "Mandela" and "baboon", have yet to be charged.
Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba of Limpopo police said they had hoped to keep the matter out of the media.
He said: "But now that you have asked about the issue, I have no alternative, but to release the information."
He said police first wanted to hold an internal inquiry into the matter before pressing charges against the officers.
On Thursday, the farmer, Edwin Motlapa, 31, said the two cops found him selling tomatoes from his bakkie at a petrol station in Musina on Tuesday evening and asked who the driver was.
Cops punch, kick Motlapa
When Motlapa said he was both the driver and owner of the bakkie, he was allegedly called names and then kicked and punched.
He said the two officers shouted: "F**k off you Mandela, f**k off you baboon," before kicking and punching him all over the body.
A witness, Jan Siziba, said he heard every single insult and saw the assault.
Motlapa said the officers then told him to drive the bakkie straight to Musina police station.
Motlapa said: "I was so frightened that I was physically shaking and very shocked because I did not know that selling tomatoes could cause anyone to be assaulted, kicked and insulted."
Motlapa said the two officers followed him to the police station, where he was then ordered into the charge office and beaten again.
Motlapa 'should apologise to white cops'
Motlapa said: "Three black officers who were in the charge watched helplessly as I was being assaulted and one of them even shouted that I should apologise to the two whites, but I did not know what for."
None of the three black officers could be traced on Thursday because the telephone in the charge office rang unanswered.
Motlapa said he was assaulted until he fell to the ground, where one of them even kicked him several times in the face.
He said he'd been to a doctor and eats with difficulty as a result of the injuries. On Thursday, he was arranging to get forms for the doctor to fill in as evidence in the case.
One of the black inspectors apparently restored calm and asked what charges Motlapa faced.
Motlapa was given a traffic ticket for ignoring two traffic signs and three other traffic offences.
He was warned not to press charges against the officers as they had his bakkie registration number. But, he reported them at Tshamutumbu police station.
- African Eye
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