Cops Beat Us !!

 'Cops beat us'

July 12 2008 at 12:24PM

By Fiona Gounden

In the latest incident of police brutality in Durban, two brothers were allegedly violently assaulted for an hour by Metro police officers while they were handcuffed.

This is the fourth incident in two months to have been brought to the attention of The Independent on Saturday.

This week a Chatsworth scrapyard manager, Daya Pillay, 50, claimed he and his brother were assaulted by police officers. He said they "threw them from one side of the room to the other" while other colleagues took turns in throttling, punching and kicking them while they were handcuffed.

Shocking pictures taken on a cellphone by their niece show what appears to be the officers' aggressive behaviour, with one threatening bystanders. The Pillays' niece, Irene Pillay, who took the photos, says one of the officers tried to pull the phone away and hurt her hand.

This latest alleged assault follows three other incidents, with two involving SAPS and one Metro Police, which were reported in this newspaper last week.

In another incident this week, a pregnant Congolese woman was allegedly beaten by city officials at the city hall.

Daya Pillay, a father of two, who lives in Shallcross, said he and his brother, Silverglen resident Ralph Pillay, 41, who is a buyer with him at Sunset Scrap Metals in Woodhurst, Chatsworth, were visited by two Chatsworth Metro Police officers last Wednesday at 12.30pm.

"These officers came with a summons for the owner, Aroo Pillay, who is my other brother. He has been receiving fines quite often in the past few months with no reasonable explanation. All the scrap was on our leased premises and they claimed it was on the roadside.

"The officer demanded to know where the owner was. I told him I didn't know and politely asked them for further information about these fines as it just didn't make sense."

He said the police became aggressive and accused him of withholding information.

"I said I can't help them any further and walked out. They became violent and overpowered me. They threw me onto the ground and one officer was throttling me and I could not breathe. My brother and some other employees pleaded with them not to be so rough. They were joined by another officer and they hit my brother and handcuffed both of us."

The brothers were arrested, put in a police van and taken to the Metro Police Station at Chatsworth.

Pillay said when they arrived at the station, they were placed in "a big room" and assaulted by a number of officers.

"These police were really disgusting and took joy in having turns hitting us. They said we resisted arrest but all we did was ask for further information."

He said the beating lasted for about an hour till 2.30pm and the officers then took them to the nearby Chatsworth SAPS station where charges were opened.

Shortly after the incident, the victims went to Dr James Govender in Shallcross. Govender confirmed he treated Ralph Pillay for lacerations and bruises on his body and told Daya Pillay to go to hospital where he was admitted and treated for fractured ribs, tissue damage and cuts. He was discharged from hospital two days days later.

Communications officer at the Chatsworth SAPS, Capt Edmund Singh, confirmed that charges of assault were opened.

"The two victims have opened up charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) against three Metro Police officers, which we are investigating."

Snr Supt Thozamile Tyala said while the summons was executed correctly, the charges of assault are very serious and are being investigated.

Two brothers have claimed they are victims of police brutality in Durban. These are the latest alleged police assaults and harassment of members of the public.

Durban North resident Terene Powel, the owner of Oriental Road House restaurant in Springfield Park, was searched by a male officer who allegedly treated her roughly, causing multiple bruises, in full view of her 7-year-old son on May 15. She and her manager, Shane Chinsamy, were thrown into the back of a police van because her car was obstructing another vehicle. Durban Metro Police spokesperson, Thozamile Tyala, said senior police officers were working on the case and assured Powel that they will be brought to book and "will provide Powel with feedback by Monday". A pregnant Congolese woman, Salima Abbisi, was allegedly beaten by city officials, when she and other foreigners demonstrated outside Durban City Hall on Thursday. She is in a stable condition in hospital. Tyala said the incident was handled correctly but if anyone feels their rights were violated, they must report it. A Chatsworth community worker, Dennis Pillay, went to report a hijacking at the Chatsworth Police Station but was turned away on April 27. Police asked why he was making such a big deal of the incident "as hijackings take place often". They told him to come back another day. Edmund Singh, communications officer for the Chatsworth SAPS, said the allegations were extremely serious and have tried to contact Pillay. "I have been calling Pillay three times a day for the past week in an attempt to meet him. His phone is switched off and he has not called me back. We understand that he may be scared, but victims must be prepared to come forward." An Overport woman tried to open a case after her cellphone was stolen on May 11. When she went to report the incident at the Sydenham Police Station police officers accused her of fabricating the case. They threatened to put her into a cell and one of the officers swore at her. Station commissioner Snr Supt Glen Nayager said they were investigating, but the victim needed to come forward. "This woman had the time to go to the media but she can't make the time to come see me. I want to catch these culprits. "While the majority of our officers are good, there may be a few bad apples and had this victim come straight to me they would have been dealt with. Our investigation is under way and we need this victim's help to get to the bottom of this." - Fiona Gounden