The alleged use of maximum force by the police during their controversial mob justice arrests at Ha-Mashau Tshirando a fortnight ago, left Mr Peter Nthatheni Malele (35) with a big open wound to his private parts.

According to Malele, it was about 15:00 when the police arrived, instructing a group of young men to go inside the liquor store where he was imbibing alcohol with his friends. "It was like a drama. The police were just saying “move inside, move inside” and after the young men were inside the liquor store, the police informed the group that they were under arrest," he said. Malele further claimed that, after the boys were loaded into the police van, the armed policemen returned to the liquor store to inform them that they were also under arrest.

"When they instructed me to go and get inside the police van, I refused. Little did I know that I was calling for deadly trouble. A group of policemen began to push me around and channeled me towards the van. When I continued resisting getting inside the van, one of the police officers hit me with his R5-like rifle in the private parts. That's how they got me inside the police van," he claimed.

Malele said that, on the way to the Vuwani police holding cells, he was bleeding profusely. On arrival at the Vuwani SAPS, Malele, who was still bleeding from the open wound, indicated that he was reeling in deep pain and unable to alight from the police van. The unemployed father of two girls added that, when other people were taken to police holding cells, the police officers, who realised that he was seriously bleeding, left him lying on the ground, crying and screaming for help for some time. They later took him to the Levubu clinic. "One of the three policemen who accompanied me to Levubu clinic told me that if I lied to the Doctor at Elim hospital about the cause of the injury, I would not be taken back to the holding cells. I agreed because I was in deep pain and in need of medical treatment. When the ambulance arrived to take me to Elim hospital, none of the police officers accompanied me to the hospital," he further claimed. Malele said that when the doctor at Elim hospital asked him several times how he got injured, he ended up revealing the truth. "The doctor told me that it would not be safe to stitch up the open wound. He gave some pills for pain and bandaged me. Irrespective of my serious condition, I was discharged after being examined by the doctor. I used the public phone to call my elder brother, who came to pick me up," he said.

Upon visiting him at his home last Tuesday, Malele was still bleeding and could not walk properly. "I am scared that, as a result of this dangerous and serious wound, I might not have more children.

The provincial organising secretary of SANCO, Mr James Delekisa, said that this is a clear indication that the police do not understand how to handle issues within the communities. "I still cannot believe that Malele is accusing the police of having caused that serious injury; however, I wish him a speedy recovery," he said. Nthatheni Malele said that he had opened an assault case at the Waterval SAPS against the police officers who he alleged had forcefully arrested him last Friday.

According to inspector KC Mabatha from the Waterval SAPS the case was handed over to the Levubu SAPS, seeing that the incident allegedly occurred in their area of jurisdiction. Inspector Mabatha said that the charges will be investigated further by the Levubu SAPS.