A Bonteheuwel man claims the Anti-Gang Unit moered him, shot him, kidnapped him then called an ambulance to take him to hospital.
On Wednesday around noon, the 35-year-old says the unit came to his house searching for guns.
“It was about 12 of them and they asked for a gun. They turned the house upside down and shot me in the neck with a rubber bullet,” he says.
His 27-year-old brother also has scars, which he says are from beatings he got from the unit at his home four days ago.
The 35-year-old, who fears for his life, says he was also shot in his buttocks by the police: “They beat me until I was out of breath. I said they can search the whole house, we have no guns here.”
He says after they realised that he was badly injured, they took him to their police van and parked near the Bonteheuwel Police Station.
“They covered me with a sweater when they were taking me out so the community couldn’t see that I was injured,” he says.
“They called an ambulance for me and registered me under a false name and area.”
His family started panicking when he did not return home on Thursday morning and went to search the hospitals.
The man’s sister says none of the hospitals knew anything about him.
“At Tygerberg Hospital, they said the person who matched his description was from Khayelitsha and I was encouraged to report him as missing,” says the sister, who also asked not to be identified.
As she was about to open a missing persons case, her brother appeared and told her he had been admitted at Tygerberg Hospital.
“The unit is abusing its powers and has been beating my brothers,” she says.
“If my brothers have a case to answer, why not arrest them instead of beating them?”
The brothers say they are scared to open cases.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said the brothers must open cases for the unit to be investigated.
“Kindly encourage the victims to open criminal cases that will be referred to Ipid for further handling.”