SHARPEVILLE – A 23-year-old man from Sharpeville has accused local police officers of assaulting and humiliating him during an arrest.
Melusi Zwane claims his ordeal began on April 25 when he was accompanying his girlfriend, who had just borrowed a luggage bag from him.
“After I gave her the bag, I accompanied her, and we stood on the corner of the street. A police vehicle arrived shortly afterwards. I believe they stopped because they saw the luggage bag,” he said.
While the female officer searched his girlfriend, the male officers searched Zwane.
“The problem started when I asked to take money out of my pocket before they searched me. I had coins worth about R50. When I took the money out, I was questioned about it, and an argument followed,” he said.
Zwane says that officers then handcuffed him and allegedly forced him into the back of a police van.
Zwane further claims that upon arriving at the police station, he was physically assaulted and beaten by another officer with a stick that looked like a sjambok.
He spent the weekend in custody before being taken to the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on April 28, where he was released on a warning.
“I am disturbed by what happened because the police are supposed to serve and protect the community,” Zwane says.
The police have charged Zwane with drug possession and resisting arrest, but he maintains that he had no drugs and that the allegations were fabricated after his arrest.
He says the experience of spending days in a holding cell was traumatic and an abuse of power.
“My confidence has been destroyed. I feel less of a man after what happened. I feared for my life during the assault,” he said.
Zwane, who sought medical attention at a local hospital after his release, has opened a criminal case against the officers involved.
He stated that the incident had left him emotionally scarred, destroyed his confidence, and made him fear for his life.
“All I want is accountability for what was done to me,” he said Phaladi Shuping, a spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), confirmed that a case of assault is being investigated, though no arrests have been made yet.
