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Tuesday 22 February 2011
‘Tortured for no reason’ REYANA STEYN
I
MAGINE walking down the road one minute only to be forced onto your stomach the next instant by police officers pointing guns at you. This is what allegedly happened to four Athlone youths aged between 16 and 20 in Lawrence Road about two weeks ago “for no apparent reason”. The 10 members of the Tactical Response Team (TRT) searched a house in the road on Friday 28 January when the youths were allegedly beaten. Residents are incensed at the alleged assault and are demanding that action be taken. One of the victims, Mikhail Poggenpoel (19), says he is shocked by the way they were treated. “We were in the house when my friend’s girlfriend ran in, screaming that they had her boyfriend on the ground and they were hitting and kicking him. My brother and I as well as my parents ran out and then they forced us to lie on the ground as well.” Mikhail says they tried to stand up because they had done nothing wrong, but were then “brutally assaulted by members of the TRT”. “I was hit with the gun on my head and my face hit the ground; they kicked my brother and our friends.” “My friend and his girlfriend were walking past the house when the police grabbed him and forced him to lie on his stomach. They told the girl to go away,” says Mikhail. Another 16-year-old, who did not want to be named out of fear, said: “They beat us and we did nothing wrong; they were also using foul language towards us.” Debbie Poggenpoel, Mikhail’s mother, is furious over what happened. “We were in the house that Friday when my son’s friend’s girl-
friend, who was hysterical, came running into the house. “When we got outside, we saw they were hitting her boyfriend before he was pinned down on his stomach. My sons ran over first and asked what was happening and it was at that point when they grabbed both of them and hit them and also pinned them down.” “My husband and I were furious – they kept us away from getting to them.” She says that at that stage they had blocked the road and stood with their guns while all the residents were outside. “I told them I was going to report this and they said to me that I can go. It was terrifying. I felt so defenceless. As a parent to see your children going through that when you know they did nothing wrong as they were inside the house with you is horrible,” she says. “They were still laughing when they told the children to get up and go home. They still tried to shake the boys’ hands, but the boys refused and they continued laughing,” says Debbie. They went to the police station afterwards, but were told by an admin clerk that there was nothing they could do about it as it was not police officers from their department. “We want action to be taken. These officers cannot get away with treating people like that, especially as they are not criminals in any way.” Warrant Officer Ian Bennett, Athlone police spokesperson, says a docket should have been opened, but has told the family to come back to the police station so the case can be investigated. During the alleged attack, the boys suffered bruises to their shoulders and ribs. Mikhail had a bump on his head and his face was bruised from his fall onto the ground. People’s Post sent a media query through to the provincial police de-
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The Cape Malay Choir Board hosted the premier division of the its choral competition at the Good Hope Centre on Saturday. Eleven troupes gathered to battle it out for top honours, with the Angeliere Malay Choir from Athlone walking away with the spoils. The team will now compete in the Top Eight competition, which will see the best teams in all divisions competing against each other. That segment takes place on 19 March. The final showdown, regarded as the Grand Final, will take place on 16 April, which will see the winners of the Premier’s Cup and President’s Cup clashing. Here Faseeg Saal of the Angeliere performs his item on the night. Photo: Sharief Jaffer
partment, but the matter was referred to Athlone police station to answer. Bennett has confirmed that TRT was in the area, busy with search warrants which were issued by the station to be executed on the night of the alleged assault. He said: “They were also busy with stop and searches. This is a crime prevention strategy to combat theft, robberies, drugs and gang activity.” Bennett added that the TRT is a support team to police stations who have a problem with gangsterim and drugs; where it becomes too dangerous for the normal crime prevention officers to enter. “Every member who is on duty
and busy with policing is accounted for through the system we have in place where we know if a member is doing duty and where he is performing that duty and reasons.” Bennett added that every member is held accountable if they exceed the boundaries of their authority. “A member found to have exceeded their authority will be charged criminally or departmentally or even both. SAPS will not tolerate any member overstepping their powers. “We have received complaints from the community of various incidents where it is thought that TRT members exceeded that boundaries and we treat every incident as serious. We will allocate the initial en-
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quiry or criminal case to a senior officer to investigate because SAPS has an image to uphold in helping the community.” He added that this will also not deter them from executing their duties in accordance with their mandate of crime prevention and dealing with the issue of gangs and drugs. People are urged to report officers who they think have exceeded their powers. “This reveals that members could need constant and ongoing training, showing management their shortcomings and areas in which they can improve.” To report incidents call (021) 6979238.
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