Injured man abandoned to his fate by police
A concerned bystander was horrified when officers at the Middelburg Police Station abandoned a brutally injured man to his fate on Tuesday morning.
The resident, who wished to stay anonymous, explained that she arrived at the station at 10:30, where she observed the severely injured and bloodied man lying discarded at the entrance.
“I am not sure what transpired before my arrival, but during the 15 minutes I was there, not a single officer on duty bothered to check up on him or administer any basic kind of first aid! It is all very well that they called an ambulance, but I am truly shocked at the inhumane treatment and lack of compassion shown for the man while they waited for an ambulance. Nothing was done to help him.”
The complainant further pointed out that two ambulances were parked across the road from the scene, but none of the paramedics came over to check on the injured man.
“The police themselves undergo first aid training, so why was there no attempt to administer even basic first aid? If he had an obstruction in his throat, he could have easily asphyxiated on his own blood. As a resident, you would like to think that in the case of an emergency, you could rely on police assistance, but they have once again proven that you cannot rely on them at all.”
The person concluded that people streamed in and out of the police station, some with children, all walking past him lying there, “Nothing was done to preserve his dignity or to spare the public from the shocking scene. He wasn’t even covered in a blanket. He was left lying on the floor like a dog.”
The resident further explained that during her 15 minutes at the station, there was no sign of movement from the victim at all and none of the police officers responded to her questions about whether the victim was ok.
“I could not see the full extent of his injuries, because I was afraid of going closer and worried that he was dead. From what I could tell, he seemed to have injuries to his face, but his hands and shirt were full of blood. At one point, I tried to go closer to just see if he was okay, but got warning looks, suggesting I stay away.”
• In response to a media enquiry sent to the provincial spokesperson for the SAPS, Colonel Donald Mdhluli told the Middelburg Observer that an ambulance had been dispatched and that the injured person is currently receiving medical treatment at the hospital. He could not confirm the nature of the man’s injuries or what caused them, adding that the man was too injured for the police to take his statement.
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