Maties unite on Facebook
2008-03-11 15:11
Cape Town - Members of social networking website Facebook have come together in their condemnation of the controversial Stellenbosch police raids.
In just under 36 hours, one Facebook group called "Police raids in Stellenbosch" has swelled to around 3 000 members.
The group, created by Meg Cooper, features video footage of the raids, photographs of the aftermath, links to various organisations and a wide variety of opinion on the subject.
"The group was started to get hold of everyone that was involved in the ordeal. We wanted to get everyone to come into the respective clubs to give statements and urge them to lay charges and not just take this kind of crap anymore," said Cooper, via an e-mail interview on Facebook.
"Obviously you can see it has become so much more than that! It has become a place where people from all over can voice there opinions on the matter."
Among the 29 threads under discussion in the group, some students have started planning a protest march to coincide with the International Day of Police Brutality on March 15. Through posts on the discussion board, activity is slowly being organised but no final date has been set for the action.
For Cooper, the group has grown far beyond its original purpose.
"It amazes me how this whole thing has united so many people from so many different backgrounds. For once people are standing up together to say that this kind of thing shouldn't have happened and should never again."
Not spur of the moment
It was reported earlier on Tuesday that the controversial drugs bust during the early morning hours of Saturday at three popular venues in town did not take place on the spur of the moment.
It was preceded by various clandestine operations during which it became apparent that drugs could be bought at the particular premises.
Owners of licensed sites were also requested by the local alcohol forum two weeks ago to get their matters in order regarding their responsibility not to allow drug dealing on their premises.
Drug dealing continued nevertheless, said Director Dirk Mentoor, commissioner of the Stellenbosch police station, on Monday.
This was confirmed by operations on Friday evening on the eve of the bust. "We knew there was drug abuse before we arrived."
Mentoor said there was no "flood" of complaints after the bust and by late on Monday only four charges of assault had been filed with the police.
Visit the Facebook group