Community demands IPID intervention against police brutality in eMbalenhle

The community of Mandela Section, together with members of the Masakhane organisation, marched to the eMbalenhle Police Station on October 16, demanding justice following the alleged assault and murder of Mkhapheni Mbatha on October 2.

Mbatha was accused of selling drugs when he was allegedly attacked by police.

Before delivering the memorandum, community leader Wilson Chauke addressed the crowd, saying their memorandum formally registers a profound and urgent grievance against repeated patterns of police misconduct, excessive use of force, and brutality by members of the eMbalenhle Police Station and the Secunda policing cluster. This includes officers from the Secunda Public Order Police Service (POPS).

“We demand immediate and concrete action to investigate, prosecute, and reform the policies and personnel responsible, along with a comprehensive investigation, accountability, and measurable corrective action.”

The memorandum calls for the arrest of officers allegedly involved in Mbatha’s death and outlines a series of other grievances involving alleged police misconduct, corruption, and abuse of power.

Grievances
• Alleged assault and murder of Mkhapheni Mbatha

According to the community, Mbatha was washing clothes with his four-year-old child when heavily armed police officers approached him, demanding that he hands over drugs and cash, allegedly from drug sales.

When Mbatha denied having either, he was reportedly assaulted, kicked, choked, and suffocated with a plastic bag to force a confession. He allegedly died on the scene.

The memorandum states that both eMbalenhle police and Secunda POPS officers were involved and that their identities are known to the station commander.

“This deliberately violated Mkhapheni’s right to life, freedom from torture, and the Police Code of Conduct regarding excessive force,” the memorandum reads. “The officers tried to fabricate lies to conceal their actions.”

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• Shooting of Robert Hlophe (March 15)
Robert Hlophe was reportedly shot in the chest by a police officer from the eMbalenhle Police Station while waiting for transport to work.
He survived but still lives with the bullet lodged near his vital organs.

“Was that type of force warranted and necessary?” Chauke questioned, calling it “an attempted murder on an unarmed civilian.”

• Bribery and assault of a ward committee member
The community also accuses certain officers of soliciting bribes at a local kitchen spot in Mandela Section. When confronted by a ward committee member, officers allegedly pepper-sprayed him, ran over his leg with a police vehicle, and arrested him unlawfully.

Systemic and pattern-based grievances
The memorandum further alleges widespread corruption and misconduct within the eMbalenhle Police Station, including:
• Extortion and blackmail of drug dealers, allegedly taking their drugs and cash for personal gain.
• Bribes collected from illegal alcohol traders in exchange for ignoring offences.
• Bribery of foreign shop owners under threats of deportation.
• Theft of confiscated copper cables and resale to scrapyards.
• Torture and theft from illegal miners (zama zamas), with seized gold allegedly sold privately.

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“The police here are deeply engrossed in crime themselves. It is no longer possible to tell the difference between officers of the law and criminals,” said Chauke.

The community also accused police officers of failing to intervene when their colleagues use excessive force, describing this as evidence of a systemic failure in training and professional responsibility.

Demands for action
The memorandum calls for:
• Independent investigations by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) into all mentioned cases.
• Immediate suspension of implicated officers pending investigation outcomes.
• Criminal prosecution or dismissal of officers found guilty of misconduct.
• Transparent communication of investigation progress and outcomes to the community.
• Public access to police misconduct records and body-camera footage in serious operations.
• Establishment of an independent community oversight body, including the Community Policing Forum (CPF), with investigative and subpoena powers.

Call for accountability
“The trust between the police and the community they swore to protect is severely damaged. We demand a formal response to this memorandum within 14 days detailing the steps that will be taken to address each grievance.

“Failure to act will be considered a dereliction of duty and will necessitate further legal and civic action by our community,” Chauke concluded.

Their memorandum was received by Glen Angus from IPID in Mpumalanga, who told the community that not all their grievances fall under the IPID’s jurisdiction; some need to be directed to other departments. He promised to respond to those directed to IPID within the stipulated period.

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