The bad behaviour of Eastern Cape police officials has cost the department more than R48m in the last financial year — and the staggering amount is just the tip of the iceberg.
Claims worth more than R7.9bn are still pending against the SA Police Service (SAPS).
But as the number of claims mount, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), mandated to investigate such allegations, continues to suffer from a lack of resources and understaffing in the province.
In November, a Kariega police officer accused of kidnapping and extortion was ordered to hand over her private vehicle after it was allegedly used in the commission of a crime.
The officer, a sergeant at the Kariega police station, was ordered by the Gqeberha high court to hand over her white Corsa bakkie after the Asset Forfeiture Unit successfully brought an application for a preservation order.
It is alleged that the sergeant, a constable and a third person kidnapped an Ethiopian national from his Joe Slovo shop on August 27 2020 on the pretext that they wanted to interview him about a robbery which had occurred two months earlier.
His hands and legs were tied with cable ties and the woman allegedly demanded R120,000 from him.
In June, a probe was launched after a video went viral of three young women being kicked out of the Motherwell police station where they had asked for help after being hijacked.
The friends allege they were manhandled, hit with a baton and even pepper-sprayed, before being locked out of the police station after the e-hailing taxi they were in was hijacked in NU6, Motherwell.
In April, The Herald exposed the abuse of a 16-year-old boy, allegedly at the hands of the Cookhouse police, after he was found walking around after curfew with a beer in his hand.
He was allegedly beaten to the point of collapse, pepper-sprayed and locked in a room.
In another case, a 27-year-old man was allegedly humiliated and sprayed with pepper spray between his buttocks for refusing to take a lift from a police officer.
These are just some of the cases we know about.
The alarming figure of nearly R8bn was revealed in an answer to a parliamentary question by DA Eastern Cape safety and security spokesperson Bobby Stevenson.
Stevenson said despite the increasing claims brought against police, the government had failed to capacitate Ipid, which only has one office to service the entire province.
“The DA wants to see a fully resourced and disciplined police service that inspires confidence and hope for a safer tomorrow,” Stevenson said on Monday.
In the last financial year, 523 claims totalling R48.455m had been paid out to victims of police misconduct or brutality.
Community safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe revealed that in the 2020/2021 financial year, at least 1,242 claims against the police had been registered, of which 710 were for wrongful arrest, 168 for assault, 66 for car accidents, 56 for shooting, and 47 for illegal search and seizures.
Stevenson said: “Ipid has a severe lack of capacity to investigate police misconduct, which is leading to a breakdown of trust between the community and the police.”
Tikana-Gxothiwe confirmed that only one of the five offices for Ipid, namely the one in East London, was operational.
“The severe lack of capacity is hamstringing Ipid. Of the 1,599 cases that Ipid dealt with in the 2019/2020 financial year, 1,037 were carried over,” Stevenson said.
Ipid national spokesperson Grace Langa downplayed allegations of poor performance.
However, she admitted to the delays in the handling of cases due to a lack of resources.
“We continue to request more funding from the Treasury to address financial resources and capacity challenges.
“Citizens know very well that Ipid is there for them with integrity, openness and transparency.
“Our clients are happy with our services.
“Court cases may be delayed but once we receive outstanding technical reports, we get convictions,” Langa said.
According to Langa, 175 Ipid investigators must monitor about 160,000 police officers.
“Honestly, to say we do not perform is an unfair statement and opinions that need to be eradicated.
“Instead, we should be applauded for the work well done,” Langa said.
According to court papers, the man kidnapped from his Joe Slovo shop was driven in a red VW Polo with no registration plates to a secluded spot along the R75 towards Kirkwood, where he was allegedly assaulted and threatened.
At about 2pm on the day of his kidnapping, the two uniformed officers allegedly went to the his spaza shop and asked that he accompany them to the Kamesh police station.
During the ordeal, the man’s brother was contacted and allegedly told to pay R120,000.
He was only able to raise R15,000.
The man was then allegedly taken to a house in Despatch, where he was locked up and kept overnight.
The following morning, he was again taken in the Polo to the same bushy area while a white Corsa bakkie with tinted windows allegedly driven by the police sergeant followed them.
There, he was taken out of the Polo and loaded into the back of the bakkie and later taken back to the house, where he was locked up and left with his hands tied.
He managed to get out of the restraints later and went looking for help.
On August 30, the two police officers were arrested and charged with kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and aggravated robbery.
The criminal case is still pending.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed that they had been suspended.
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