SA Policing Union (Sapu) president Mpho Kwinika appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
Kwinika was arrested last Friday following an altercation with several police officers in Sunnyside.
National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said Kwinika appeared in court yesterday on charges of public disturbance and public drinking.
Kwinika was detained until he was sober and then charged and released on warning.
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Sapu alleged that Kwinika was assaulted for six hours while in police custody before being charged.
“In this process they broke his arm, burst his eardrum and he has suspected broken ribs,” the union said.
“They refused him his right to inform his lawyers and family. They refused him medical treatment. They denied him a right to ablution or toilet facilities. He was forced to sleep on his own urine the whole night,” the union said.
Sapu general secretary Tumelo Mogodiseng said “We are in shock and dismay that Kwinika was arrested on trumped-up charges on Friday night.”
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Mogodiseng said “We would like to know if it is a coincidence that the union’s president is arrested and assaulted by the police after calling for the establishment of a board of inquiry into the fitness status of the current national commissioner. This is clearly an intimidation tactic to silence us from raising this topical issue.”
Sapu has since written to President Cyril Ramaphosa and threatened to lay criminal charges.
Naidoo encouraged Kwinika to open a case of assault to allow the alleged assault to be investigated.
“It just cannot be that these allegations continue to be thrown around in the public domain while no criminal case has been registered since Friday.”
“Currently this cannot be tested (without a case opened),” Naidoo said.
The case against Kwinika was postponed to 17 April.
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