The concerned resident’s brother and his friend were stopped by the Benoni police on their way from work, and told that the officers wanted to search their car.
They were told to get out and keep their hands on the car.
“They searched his car and found nothing, but still they accused them of smoking ganja — false accusations for no reason at all,” said the concerned resident.
The police officer then ordered the two men to loosen their trouser belts.
“What the cops did after that shocked me to my core,” added the shocked resident.
“They pulled his underwear forward and looked inside.”
This happened in the street.
“Only after taking their time looking for ganja — or whatever they are on the lookout for these days — did they eventually tell the two 18-year-old that they could leave.”
The resident phoned the Benoni Police Station and questioned their methods.
“The woman who answered the phone was just as shocked after I told her the story,” said the resident.
“I then was transferred to a Benoni police captain, who had nothing to say except that he would speak to the officers and that they were not allowed to do that.
“After I explained to him that this was sexual harassment, he hung up on me.”
The resident wants to warm Benonians that there is sexual harassment going on when “cops stop you next to the road”.
Police spokesperson Lieut Nomsa Sekele said the police will investigate the incident.
“At this point we don’t want to speculate, as we don’t know what led to the officers’ actions,” she said, adding that looking into people’s underwear is not allowed, unless the officers witness someone hiding illegal substances in their underwear.
