THOKOZA – Members of the SAPS arrived and arrested eight members of the organisation, who were subsequently taken to the Thokoza Police Station, where they were charged with holding an illegal protest and locked up.
However, once inside the cells, they were approached by a police official who promised to secure their bail.
According to Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem, the policeman told the eight arrested Cope members that he could secure bail for them on payment of a sum of a R1 000 each.
Also Read: Phola Park residents demand power for all
“The officer then indicated that he had a lawyer on hand who could assist the eight with their bail application,” he explained.
”He then gave our members his cell phone and asked them to call their families to raise the money.”
Bloem told Kathorus MAIL that the Cope members were then driven to the Vosloorus Police Station, where they were to meet with the alleged lawyer.
At the police station in Vosloorus five of the eight Cope members were each asked to pay the bogus lawyer R1 000 to secure their release. The other three were forced to spend the weekend in a prison cell because they could not afford to raise the R1 000 required by the “lawyer”.
Also Read: Residents raise concerns at Imbizo
On the Monday all eight accused appeared at the Magistrates Court and they were all released on a warning.
“In fact, the magistrate was surprised to hear that five of the accused had already been released, after they paid R1 000 each for bail,” said an irritated Bloem.
“We are definitely not going to allow this matter to disappear. We were encouraged by the reaction of the head of the Thokoza Police Station, Col Baloyi, who has refused to have the matter investigated by his own detectives at the station.
Also Read: Ekurhuleni junior council elects leadership
”He immediately called investigators from Provincial Police Headquarters, who arrived promptly and started compiling statements from the eight Cope members.”
Cope’s provincial leadership have also issued a joint statement, in which they said it was clear that the police are operating a bail scam and that this practice appears to be widespread.
Bloem said Cope calls on the Minister of Police and senior management to enquire into this specific matter urgently and to request information from all police stations to establish whether similar bail scams were occurring at their stations.
“Crooked police will turn South Africa into a banana republic; we await a response from the Minister, who will be also copied on this statement,” Bloem said.
