MAKHADO – A well-known football referees’ instructor, Mr Samuel Maduwa, (38) is still nursing the wounds he allegedly sustained from members of the South African Police Services. It follows an incident at the Eltivillas taxi rank at Makhado on Saturday evening at about 20:30.

Maduwa was busy with transport arrangements for the children who were participating in the OR Thambo Games on Saturday. He told Mirror that he was standing across the road next to the Makhado Show grounds when three vehicles stopped in front of him.

According to him, the occupants of the vehicles opened the doors of the vehicles and asked him why he was standing there at that time of the night. “Before I responded to the question, the men told me that I was an illegal immigrant,” said Maduwa.

Realizing that there was a possibility that they might assault him, Maduwa started to run away in the direction of the Eltivillas taxi rank. The men allegedly chased him until he was hit by an unknown object and fell down. That, according to him, caused injuries to his arm.

He further indicated that one of the five men hit him in the face with a fist while he was lying on the ground. He said that he later told the men that he was one of the organisers of the OR Thambo Games and not an illegal immigrant as they had thought. According to him it was only then that the five men identified themselves to him as police officers.

He said that he requested the officers to take him to hospital. They refused, saying that they were on their way to Thohoyandou. He then phoned the emergency services and was taken to the Memorial Hospital. After receiving medical treatment, Maduwa decided to go to the police station to open a case against the five officers.

To his surprise he found the same officers at the police station despite the fact that they had told him that they were on their way to Thohoyandou. According to him, the five officers told him in the presence of other officers that he was wasting his time by opening a case against them saying they would “swindle” the case, since they were detectives. Maduwa said he continued to open an assault case, in spite of the threats.

According to him a Makhado Municipality official delivered him to his home in Nzhelele after midnight. Maduwa is a teacher at the Mandiwana Primary School.

The spokesperson for the SAPS in the Vhembe Area, Capt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi, stated that Maduwa was not assaulted by the officers as alleged. According to him, the information he had was that Maduwa sustained injuries when he fell down and not as a result of assault. He further indicated that the police officers thought he was an illegal immigrant when they started to cross-question him.

He further indicated that the police are investigating the case.