Pretoria - A former station commander at the Germiston police station has instituted a R2million damages claim against the police and a fellow officer after he was bad-mouthed in a document issued to his superiors.
In the document, it was claimed that he, among others, often used mess money to buy cases of Johnnie Walker whisky for his own use.
Brigadier Jeshop Shabangu said the affidavit in which these “grievances” were set out and sent to his bosses was defamatory and injured his feelings. The police accepted liability and agreed that the allegations were defamatory.
However, Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Natvarlal Ranchod felt that R50000 in damages was a fair compensation.
The judge felt that the R2m damages claimed by Shabangu was somewhat inflated, although the latter later did reduce the amount to R500 000.
Shabangu, a deputy cluster commander in the SAPS, said he was a police officer of high standing and the allegations against him had hurt him and his career.
He said that in 1998 he was nominated to represent the SAPS during a course on effective counter-measures against economic crimes affecting national governments.
He was also the first person of colour to take up “the esteemed post of chairperson of the East Rand Officers’ Club”.
Shabangu’s problems started in October 2007 when a fellow officer issued a statement to head office and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru).
In it, the fellow officer claimed he had to drive Shabangu’s wife and stepmother around, and that he had dipped his fingers into the mess fund to buy alcohol worth R37000.
It was also claimed that he used mess money to buy tyres for his vehicle and that he had an improper relationship with a constable.
Shabangu said he was made out to be a corrupt and dishonest thief who had abused his powers and who was not worthy of the rank he held.
He felt aggrieved that the fellow officer refused to withdraw the statement and apologise to him.
Shabangu said the defamatory statements affected him at the time and still haunted him. He attributed his hypertension and the fact that he did not sleep well to the fact that he was bad-mouthed.
He testified that his promotion prospects within the police were affected by the statements, as he was promoted to the rank of brigadier in 1999 and he had retained this rank ever since.
Shabangu denied that there were any “blemishes” on his record of service. But he was confronted in court by a letter from the union, addressed to the MEC for Safety and Security, in which an allegation of sexual harassment was raised against him.
He responded that “the complainant was an unknown, faceless person” and that he was “dealing with the matter”.
But Judge Ranchod said this contradicted his earlier answer that there were no blemishes on his record.
The judge remarked in his judgment that Shabangu conceded that the allegations of sexual harassment made by Popcru would have played a role in why he was being overlooked for promotion.
Shabangu was moved to the Hillbrow police station while the allegations of corruption against him were investigated.
It was recommended at the time that no disciplinary steps be taken against him and his name was cleared.