A woman from Umlazi, south of Durban, has quit her job, fled her home and is now living in hiding. She claims her neighbour, who is a police officer, harassed and assaulted her.
She accuses police of failing to protect her and her family.
The fight is said to be sparked by a land demarcation dispute. She claims the officer in uniform and his sister assaulted her and her family.
“When they found me connecting my water, the police officer did not ask any questions, he punched me. The one sister was chasing me with a whip and the other sister with a knobkerri. When I managed to get hold of the whip and I wouldn’t let it go, the cop then grabbed me on my neck and pepper sprayed my eyes,” says the alleged victim, Zodwa Myeza.
The woman says whenever she reported the abuse to the police they would scorn and ridicule her.
“We tried to report this to the police. With the police, we have seven cases open because he used to come into our yard carrying a gun. At one point I asked the police officers, how can we go out and speak to him while he is carrying a gun. They replied and said it’s part of his job to carry a gun,” adds Myeza.
The provincial government says it’s investigating.
“As the department we have instructed the officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and compile a report which will be submitted to the MEC for further consideration,” saysSpokesperson for KZN Department Of Transport, Community Safety & Liaison, Mluleki Mtungwa.
Police watchdog IPID investigated 5-thousand assault cases against police officers in the 2017-2018 financial year.
