Cape Town - Three of six law enforcement officers who forcibly detained blind busker Lunga Goodman Nono on Monday have been suspended, said the city’s director for safety and security Richard Bosman.
“Disciplinary hearings will follow (and it) has also been referred to the Civilian Oversight Committee to ensure it has been adequately dealt with,” he said.
On Monday Nono, 51, a father of two, was dragged away from the spot in St George’s Mall where he had busked since 2008 by law enforcement officers.
His guitar was broken.
The city said Nono had ignored “multiple” written and verbal warnings to only busk within prescribed times, and had been abusive to officers, which he has denied.
On Tuesday an official investigation into Nono’s removal was started.
Its preliminary findings are expected today.
The national spokesman for Disabled People South Africa (DPSA), Olwethu Sipuka, who had previously called Nono’s removal “vicious and barbaric”, said on Thursday that the city’s reaction had come “very late”.
“The officials should have been provisionally suspended even before the investigation started,” said Sipuka. “We are convinced if the country did not condemn the attack in the strongest terms, the suspensions would not have taken place.”
Sipuka said disabled South Africans faced daily problems dealing with police, including a lack of sign-language interpreters and too few wheelchair-friendly stations.
Sipuka said the DPSA was looking to conduct “sensitisation workshops” for police.
Nono has met a lawyer to consider litigation.
Parliament’s arts and culture committee chairwoman, Thandile Sunduza, said she was “encouraged by the reported swift undertaking by the City of Cape Town to investigate the matter”.
Sunduza said unemployed youth could look to Nono as a role model, using their talents to earn a living.
Cape Times