There was palpable tension in Eleazer Street, where a Nigerian was found dead on the sidewalk on Tuesday morning.
A group of Nigerians had gathered at the scene, hurling abuse at the police whom, they allege, were responsible for the death of 32-year-old Izuchukwu Monday Okorie.

According to an eyewitness, she was woken up at about 02:30 by the screams of a man pleading for his life.
‘I went outside to see what was going on. That is when I saw police assaulting a man. He was cuffed and couldn’t move or fight back,’ she said. According to her, there were two marked police vehicles and one unmarked vehicle that had boxed in the victim’s car. ‘I phoned Mooirivier Beskerming when we heard the screaming. The group of police were laughing as they were hitting and kicking him. They sprayed pepper spray in his face. After about 10 minutes, they poured water over his face and uncuffed him. The two marked vehicles left while the unmarked vehicle reversed to the corner of the street. That’s when I went back inside the house,’ she said.

According to Christiaan Haefele, manager of Mooirivier Beskerming, one of their officials responded to a panic alarm from a client but, on arrival, found police on the scene. ‘Because they were already on the scene, our official left as the police’s jurisdiction supersedes our own. We told our client that they were on the scene and left,’ Haefele said.
According to Col. Sabata Mokgwabone, the police spokesperson, the victim was stopped by police after a car chase. He was allegedly searched and left.
Okorie was arrested on a charge of possession of illegal substances in 2015 and again in August on a similar charge. He was supposed to appear in court once more on 25 October.
Okorie’s friend, Emeka Dickson Njoku, said he was looking for Okorie during the early hours of Tuesday morning. ‘I tried to phone him but someone else answered his phone and told me to “voetsek”. I went to the hospital, to the Ikageng police station and to the dog unit. I decided to go home and wait for his call. When I came down Eleazer Street at about 05:00 I saw his car standing in the road. He was lying on the sidewalk,’ said Njoku.
Joseph William, president of the Nigerian Union Association Potchefstroom Chapter, said he received a call to inform him that Okorie had been beaten to death. ‘They told me that bricks had been used to kill him. When I arrived at the scene I saw boot prints all over, there were also bruise marks around his wrists where he had been handcuffed,’ he said. He feels that Nigerians are a persecuted minority because the police see every Nigerian as a criminal.
‘Nigerians are harassed at every turn. We are not all criminals and even if there are criminal elements the police can’t be allowed to kill with impunity. The Independent Police Investigation Directorate (IPID) must investigate this case. We don’t want any Potchefstroom police handling the investigation,’ Williams said. Col. Mokgwabone confirmed that IPID is investigating a case of murder.
The tense situation on the scene was barely under control as emotions were running high. The distraught bystanders tried to pull journalists onto the crime scene and refused to move away. This led to minor scuffles with police officers.

After the deceased’s body was removed from the scene, the group seemed to calm down. Shortly after the bystanders left, reports were received that they had taken to the streets, overturning dustbins. The group marched to the taxi rank where police were forced to use shock grenades to disperse them. Members of the group were ultimately arrested.
No arrests in the murder case have yet been made, and the case is still under investigation.