A Delft resident says he was brutally attacked with a sjambok by police officers in his home.
Charlton Jordaan, 32, and Paul Lethling, 21, from Bakkiesblom Street in Roosendal say they were having a braai and “watching fireworks” at a friend’s house on Sunday night, but decided to go home when load shedding struck at 10pm.
Paul says he stopped at a shop owned by Nigerian nationals to buy entjies when seven police vehicles pulled up and demanded the shop owner give them cooldrink.
He explains: “The shop didn’t wanna give them cooldrinks for free so they asked me, out of the blue, ‘koop vir ons drinks, broertjie’ and I was shocked but I bought them four cooldrinks.
“As I was standing at the shop, I saw them pulling up at my house and running straight into my yard. They didn’t even shout. They pepper-sprayed my dogs and broke the locks.
“My dad was asleep and they started skutting the house out, they threw all my clothes out of my cupboard and stole R2580, which was my child’s money.”
Paul claims the cops did not have a search warrant and spoke “gangstertaal”.
“They smacked me in the yard for no reason and said me and my dad are ‘franse’.
“They cocked their guns for the dogs and disrespected my father. Some of the furniture in the house is broken.
“One officer told my sister hulle gaan haar aanrand when they came back.”
Meanwhile, Charlton’s back is covered in welts after he was allegedly beaten with a sjambok by the same officers who came to his home minutes later.
Charlton says: “I was sleeping and I heard the banging, I got up to open the door and that was when they drukked me vas and pushed me to the floor.
“One had his foot at the back of my neck while another held my legs. They took off my sweater and started hitting me with a sjambok on my back, they pepper-sprayed me and the others were searching my place.
“They demanded money from me but I only had R320, which they took. I am in pain from my neck down but I got pain tablets.”
He says the cops kicked down his front door and broke the kitchen window.
Paul and Charlton opened cases and say they want a public apology and monetary compensation for the damages and pyn en lyding.
Police referred queries about the incident to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
IPID spokesperson Robert Ramokgola says: “We confirm we have received this docket yesterday and it’s in a process of being registered. We confirm we shall investigate this docket and suspect members still need to be identified.”