Lawyers representing the 16, who include police officers, lawyers and traffic officers, told Sowetan yesterday that their clients were assaulted for no reason by the controversial unit.

The victims also allege they had unsuccessfully tried to open cases at the local police station.

"We have been unable to open a case at Leandra police station so we have decided to instead sue the minister. If the police cannot help us, then he should," said one of the victims.

They have accused the provincial Tactical Response Team of randomly beating them up "for nothing".

The victims claim the response unit, which is based in Nelspruit, travels all over Mpumalanga leaving chaos in its wake. People in the area call this unit "Amaberete" because of the distinctive black and red berets they don.

The unit is under the command of safety and security MEC Vusi Shongwe.

Jabulani Motsoene, 32, a traffic officer at Trichardt, claims he was assaulted by the officers when he questioned them about scratches on his car.

"I had left the car at the car wash when I received a call that there was a fight between members of the community and the TRT next to where I had left my car," Motsoene said.

"When I got to the car, I found that it had rubber bullet marks and when I tried to ask them who had damaged my car, they started assaulting me."

Another resident, Herman Ntuli, said: "Police found us next to the car wash and without saying any word started beating us. It was chaos. This TRT is treating every member of the community as a criminal and they have harmed even the innocent."

Lawyer Mafika Sihlali said Shongwe appeared to be encouraging the unit's "barbaric behaviour".

"Shongwe has endorsed the brutality of this police unit by saying that people found in taverns should not expect to be treated like people who are in church," Sihlali said.

Shongwe yesterday denied he was behind the terror unleashed by the unit.

"The unit was acting on the instruction of the provincial commissioner and I was not even aware that they were in Leandra on that day," Shongwe said.

On the other hand, Mthethwa's office said it was not aware of the claims. Spokesman Zweli Mnisi said it was every citizen's right to sue the state "if they felt their rights have been violated".

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Wed May 23 00:54:20 SAST 2012 ::

Jan 18, 2012

pik_it_up

when will these stupid useless law enforcers stop acting like animals and treating us like criminals..they fail to even catch petty thieves but they find people to beat up!!! but really what is the point of your job???

z 4 people found in taverns and those found in church are not the same......WOW ENOUGH SAID
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

SteveBiko

This stupid amaberete cops are everywhere they think they are above the law i dont have a problem with police doing their jobs but i have a problem when they abuse power they vandalised everything beat up people for no apparent reason this need to stop if suing the stupid minister will solve this so be it we cant leave in fear because of this grade 12 cops with no degrees.
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

XHINOPHOBIA

I HATE THEM PERIOD,

Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

Polotona

@SteveBiko.............I agree 120% wth u my bro,this amaberete they are full of shit,some of them they cnt even pronounce,their english is rotten u cn see they only hv grade 12 wth S nogal...
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

Mara_Y

I saw those boys last week in the Street of J'burg making Taximan swims in drainage water. they mean business n don't try them as the know their game
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

Tabza325is

Police have been brutalising people for many years and nothing has been done about it, many cases have been opened in the past and no action was being taken against police brutality, but as usual the capitalist only understand the language of money, ever since victims started sueing the police force for thier barbaric behaviour the govt official are now starting to take notice, the police officials are now starting to decipline thier member why because now they being sued for money, in this word money talks, this even applys in the justice system were money talks, even in govt it's only the language of money they listen to.
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

Speackup

At long last some people are taking these babarians to task, even Sowetans are sh*t scared of these sickly clowns. I was saw them making a group of guys to squat and do a whole range of tough exercises while they were laughing their lungs out obviously enjoying mistreating poor guys. The minister must get rid of them or more class actions are coming
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

Shredder

It was a Tactical Response move, now why complain?

Yerrr, bo maberete ba tla le setla jong. You don't want to mess up with those guys. I hope all the police units behave the same way. People have a tendency to look down on police personnel. Last year I was buying meat at a buy and braai, some fool wanted to go straight in front of us. The policeman who was in front of me told that fool to queue just like the rest of us. That fool asked the policeman if he would arrest him if he doesn't queue like all of us. I was very, very annoyed.
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

sekhebereshe

not only SAPS/METRO POLICE AND TRAFFIC COPS are crooks but bullies also...this is so embarrasing...i have no respect left for them...to me they are just stupid people dressed in uniform.
Report Abuse

Jan 18, 2012

skhokho21

@Shredder, even that fool did not deserve to be beaten by police but by you guys who were quing, that is what I did to another fool who did the samething in EC over the festive season, I bet you he is on liquids as I banged his face against the wall twice with the help of my body builder brother.
Report Abuse

Read all 47 comments