Cop accused of lying about sexual assault

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File photo

Published Mar 9, 2014

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Durban - A 27-year-old metro police officer who opened charges of kidnapping and sexual assault against two of her colleagues has been accused of lying to further a political agenda.

The two men accused of the assault are both shop stewards of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu).

This week the union hit out at the woman, labelling her a liar and insisting that the charges had been an effort by metro police management to weaken the union.

In a damning transcript of a WhatsApp conversation obtained by the Sunday Tribune this week, the alleged victim flirtatiously chats with the man she alleges assaulted her. In one exchange, the victim even invited her alleged attacker to her house when he told her he had been working late one evening.

The sensational story of the alleged sexual assault, which will come before the court, is outlined in an affidavit, which was obtained by the Sunday Tribune.

The alleged victim, a constable, describes in disturbing detail how she was held against her will for hours by a male officer who had offered her a lift home.

She describes how the officer refused to drive to her flat in Cato Manor, but instead went to bush in Wyebank near Pinetown, where he allegedly exposed his genitals and tried to make her touch them while he masturbated, then smeared her with semen.

She alleged that throughout the ordeal, the male officer’s colleague ignored her pleas for help.

During an interview with the Sunday Tribune, the victim denied having any prior contact with her attacker.

However, the transcript showcases a long-standing personal relationship between the two, and even cordial exchanges after the alleged attack took place.

The two officers who stand accused of the assault were due to be disarmed and suspended.

Samwu has pledged support for the accused, even appointing its lawyer Elco Geldenhuys – paid with union membership fees – to represent them.

Samwu provincial secretary Jaycee Ncanana said: “The information we have is that a war is being waged against our leadership in the municipal police.

“The shop stewards are challenging the metro police head. As a result, they’re trying to find anything that sees our shop stewards either go behind bars or lose their jobs. The complainant is being used to discredit them. That is why we will not forsake them.”

A union source, who could not be named, insisted that the sexual assault had been invented to discredit the shop stewards.

“Samwu immediately intervened after we realised that the allegations were not based on substance, but on political battles within the department,” he said.

“We have no doubt that the resuscitation of these allegations are done merely to settle the negative scores against the two shop stewards for the benefit of those who are accused of maladministration within the metro police.”

The victim denied she had a long-standing relationship with one of the men. She further denied exchanging cordial and flirtatious messages with him.

“I have been called a lot of names by these men and this is not the first time that they have lied. I am looking forward to having my day in court when my voice will be heard,” she said.

The two officers will be back in court on March 18.

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Sunday Tribune

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