LEBOENG – A local police station is in turmoil after a senior official alleged that he was treated unfairly and assaulted by his colleagues.
According to Lt Jackson Mashile (50) of Leboeng SAPS, last week some of his colleagues entered his house, confiscated his gun and took an undisclosed amount of money.
“My wife, who is a trainee officer, is involved in an affair with a senior police official at the station and she fabricated stories that I pointed a gun at her and was abusing her,” said Mashile.
He said the suspects did this in order to get rid of him at the station, and to help the senior official gain full control of his cheating wife.
“When I arrived at work on January 9, other officers handcuffed me and forced me into a police van. They drove to my house where they ransacked it, insulted me in front of my 12-year-old son and took the money I had saved for my children’s tuition fees.”
He added that the group that bombarded his house included the same senior official with whom his wife was allegedly cheating, as well as another high-ranking official from the Tubatse cluster. Both their names are known to Steelburger/Lydenburg News.
“I was taken to the station where I was left outside in the scorching heat, in full view of the public. My crutches and artificial leg were thrown a few metres away from me. I had no choice but to crawl to reach them.” A neighbour and Mashile’s 18-year-old son said they witnessed the alleged assault.
Mashile had allegedly been kept at the police station since January 9, and said he never appeared before the magistrate and no charges were laid against him.
He reiterated that he never abused his wife, but said he would not take her back because of her alleged shenanigans.
Spokesman for Leboeng SAPS, Const Andrew Sibatana, referred the matter to the provincial spokesman, Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, who brushed off Mashile’s allegations.
“He was never assaulted; he has a right to open a case against the officers if he feels aggrieved. There was a complaint from one of our officers that Mashile had pointed a gun at her. We did what we had to do in confiscating the firearm. People like him want to take the law into their own hands, we can’t allow that just because he is a policeman. We always hear of reports of officers shooting people and we want to prevent that,” said Mulaudzi.
“We were protecting the woman. All he wants is special treatment from the state and he won’t get it.”
Mulaudzi refused to comment on the senior police official’s alleged affair with Mashile’s wife.
“ I don’t have clarity on that as it is a personal matter.”
