SA police thugs attack Zims

h African NGOs Coalition (SANGOCO) offices, Home of Saints Offices and is also a home to asylum seekers from around Africa. An estimated 30 plain-clothes police officers driving unmarked vehicles with no number plates raided the refugees who were fast asleep. Among their victims was the editor of the Centre for African Journalists (CAJ News), Savious-Parker Kwinika who lost three cameras and R400 cash. The police kicked open his door, turned his bed upside down and eventually broke his bed. They also soaked the blankets in cold water and destroyed several kitchens utensils. Kwinika, who is also a Journalism and Media Studies student at Wits University was faster asleep in his apartment when the police smashed his door. The sad development prompted the Independent Complaints Directorate of South Africa (ICD) to quickly move in and launched investigations against charges levelled against the SAPS during the night. An official from ICD advised the victims of the police brutality to open cases against the law enforcement agency. The ICD is an independent department that was established in April 1997 to investigate complaints, criminality and misconduct against members of the South African Police Service, and the Municipal Police Service (MPS).
The ICD investigates the involvement of SAPS members in criminal activities such as assault, theft, corruption, robbery, rape among other criminal offences. It was not only Kwinika who was left aggrieved. Police assaulted several other people sleeping on the ground floor and left them injured.
“I was awoken by the loud noise of the door when the police forcibly kicked it open. They were pointing guns to my head. They forced me out of the house. People at the house were not armed but were fast asleep. The manner in which they approached us was so unprofessional; it seemed like an act of thuggery. Instead of searching for whatever they were looking for, they ended up stealing from us,” said Kwinika.
Another person, who was severely assaulted with a gun was Jabulani Kona (43). He was beaten with the butt of the gun whilst asleep. There was blood all over the floor. “I was asleep and suddenly I was hit on the side of the head with a metal object. The left side of my head was sustained a deep gush. I was forced outside the building where several dozens of people were being taken finger prints though not a single person was arrested. I then asked them to take me to the hospital but they refused until I went to the Methodist Central to inform Bishop Paul Verryn,” said Kona. Kona was then taken by an Ambulance to Hillbrow Clinic early Friday morning at around 0200hrs. He was treated and discharged. Bishop Verryn had not issued a statement by the time of going to press. He was busy raising complaints with senior police officer to immediately look into the conduct of their juniors at Braamfontein. – CAJ News