Pretoria - A former police officer attached to the Bronkhorstspruit police station was so traumatised when he was assaulted by about 15 of his colleagues at a roadblock and locked up for five hours in holding cells, that he has now left the force.
He is now a shop steward for the union Popcru.
Johannes Mokoena claimed more than R1 million in damages from the Minister of Police following his harrowing ordeal on September 25, 2012.
The police could not defend the claim and threw in the towel. This resulted in the high court in Pretoria awarding Mokoena R352 000 in damages.
Mokoena's only "sin" was that he had the habit of taking police dockets home, so that he could catch up with his hectic workload after hours. On the day of his arrest about 17 dockets were found in the boot of his car during a roadblock.
Mokoena tried to explain why the files were there, but he was severely assaulted and arrested.
The day before the incident, he loaded the dockets into his boot, intending to work on them at home. He and his wife had a daily arrangement that he would leave home early and park his car at the police station, where she would fetch it to drive to work, using the spare key.
Mokoena was not at work that day when she fetched the car, as he had gone out to a murder scene. He was later phoned by his wife, who said she had been stopped at a roadblock near Bronkhorstspruit and the police had demanded to know why she had dockets in her car. Mokoena then rushed to the scene.
He told the judge that there he was treated in the most appalling manner by his colleagues. He tried to explain why he had the files, but about 15 officials hit him with fists and open hands on his chest. They also twisted his arms behind his back and tried to strangle him with the tie he was wearing.
His wife was standing a few metres from him while he was being assaulted. His colleague, who went to the murder scene with him, tried to intervene. But he was also threatened with arrest.
Mokoena described the conduct of the SAPS members as "showing off and unprofessional". He said they knew he was a policeman, but they nevertheless threw him in a van and locked him up for five hours before he was released.
A doctor testified that Mokoena was so badly manhandled that the ligaments in his shoulders were ruptured and the tendons injured. He also lost half of the lift power in his right hand. He is also suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Mokoena testified that he had lost his motivation to be a police officer. He is also angry with the police force and feels that there is no justice.
Both his wife and the colleague confirmed what had happened to him. The police did not call a single witness to refute the incident.
Acting Judge S A Thobane said the arrest of Mokoena was undoubtedly a violent one. He was swamped by about 15 officers, assaulted pulled and pushed and forcibly thrown into the back of a police van. All this, he said, warranted damages.
Pretoria News