Police raided my house for no reason, claims resident

The acting deputy manager at the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital, Mr Nkuna, alleges that the men, after breaking the window, stormed into his 6-room house and allegedly took R2 095, and three cases of liquor for the party that was scheduled for 17 and 18 December. He claims that his neighbour, the ageing Mr James Mafemane Nkuna, went to the house to ask the police why they were breaking the window of his neighbour’s house, but on his arrival, before he could ask them anything, the officers wrongly accused him of being the owner of the house and arrested him.

“I heard that the pensioner’s attempts to prove that he was not the stand owner proved fruitless and fell on deaf ears,” said Nkuna. He continued that the police told him that they were arresting him, but promised to release him when they had arrested me as owner of the house. On my arrival from town, I found the broken window, with the doors partially open, while the pillows in my bedroom were lying on the floor. The money that I had shoved under the pillow was missing. Three cases of liquor in the refrigerator were also missing.”

Nkuna adds that he went to the Waterval SAPS with a letter from the civic association approving his party and receipts of the liquor, but he claims that the police officials laughed at him and told him that there was nothing he could do to get the old man from police custody except to come the following day when the man would be appearing before the Waterval magistrate.

“I found it strange and embarrassing when the police official just laughed at me and said: ‘Do you think my people can break into your house and steal your money and beer?’ He further told me that there was no case, so he refused when I wanted to open a case against the ‘rude’ cops.” Nkuna told Mirror that his lawyer directed him to open a case at the Makhado SAPS, which he did on the very same day (December 16).

“Once again, at Waterval, the policemen on duty asked me about my interest in the matter since they had arrested the house owner and all my efforts to prove that I was the house owner failed. My attempts to phone the station commissioner to arrange a bail application also failed as the station commissioner told me to pay an admission of guilt fine, which my lawyer forbade.” When he asked about the charge laid against the innocent pensioner, he claims the man was being accused of selling liquor without a licence. They added that they had already issued a fine of R1 000.

“On arrival at the Waterval Magistrate’s court on December 17, I was informed that my neighbour was no longer going to appear in court as he would be in the police holding cells until December 21,” he said. Nkuna expressed satisfaction when the old man was released on a warning after Nkuna’s lawyer had made a bail application. He was due to appear again at the Waterval Magistrate’s court on December 21.

News - Date: 24 December 2004

Nthambeleni Gabara

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