Pretoria - Three police officers from Reiger Park in Boksburg – with 35 years of service in the SAPS between them – are to receive damages from the minister of police for unlawful arrest and detention after they were arrested for an armed robbery and thrown into a cell with other inmates who threatened them.
Constables Goodwill Khoza, Boitumelo Nthekang and Thomas Rathebe, each instituted a R500 000 damages claim in the Gauteng Provincial Division of the High Court sitting in Pretoria against the police, following their harrowing ordeal in January 2012.
Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba ordered that Khoza and Rathebe each receive R80 000 and that Nthekang receive R120 000.
This was after the police agreed to pay the compensation.
The trio were arrested after the vehicle in which two members of the public were travelling was stopped by a man dressed as a traffic officer. The “traffic officer” was soon joined by two other “traffic officers” who robbed the men of R80 000 cash, a cellphone and a firearm.
The investigating officer meanwhile interviewed the victims and compiled an identity kit and the case was handed over to a Warrant Officer Langa. He took one look at the identity kit and arrested the three SAPS officers while they were on duty. According to him they resembled the description given by the victims.
It emerged that the victims were Langa’s friends. He locked the trio in a police cell and later a prison cell, despite them protesting that they knew nothing about the charges against them.
The officers said the cells were filthy and smelled of urine. The blankets were pest-ridden and the cell was infected with cockroaches. The showers did not work, there was no drinking water and they were unable to eat the bad food for the two days they were detained.
Their lives were in danger as they were threatened by other inmates – several of whom were gang members who knew they were police officers.
They were eventually placed in an empty cell when it was clear they were going to be attacked by inmates who threatened to “square up”.
The three said they were humiliated and embarrassed by their arrest, detention and appearance in court for something they knew nothing about. After a few days the prosecutor decided not to prosecute them as there was no evidence linking them to the robbery.
The three told the court they had always considered themselves to be honest, hardworking and proud to be police officers. Their colleagues and friends saw them under arrest, which affected their self-esteem.
Their colleagues jokingly called them “bandits” and although it was said jokingly, it was hurtful.
Pretoria News