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Uniondale residents accuse SAPS of “selective policing”

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Residents of Uniondale in the Southern Cape have accused their local South African Police Service (SAPS ) of selective policing.

A large group marched to the local magistrate’s court on Monday where two farmers appeared in connection  with the shooting of protestors earlier this month.

They handed over memorandums of grievances to officials of the Justice Department and police.

One of the major issues is an under-resourced fire station.

The farmers were arrested a couple of days later on charges of attempted murder. However, the charges have been changed to discharging their firearms in a municipal area.

“The community actually says there’s racism in regard to how, not all the police, but how some police are conducting themselves. It’s critical that in 2019, 25 years after democracy, there can never be any place for racism and selective policing. Everyone needs to be given respect and those that contravene the law must be arrested and dealt with,” says Western Cape leader of the opposition, Cameron Dugmore.

Dugmore says he will request the National Minister of Police, or his Deputy, the Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements and the George Mayor, to meet the community in the next ten days.

Forty-nine-year-old Marthinus Loock is expected to appear in court again on the 26th of next month while the other accused, 48-year-old Niklaas Gerber, will appear on the 30th of September.

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