POLICE in Limpopo say they are considering whether or not to suspend a top police officer who beat a schoolboy to a pulp after he allegedly broke a window at a tavern.
The brutal assault, which was secretly recorded on a cellphone, happened on November 24 at a tavern in Vaalwater - a farming town just outside Modimolle.
Yesterday Norman Mokau, a Grade 10 pupil at Meetsetshehla Secondary School in Vaalwater, related his horrific experience at the hands of a police officer stationed at the local police station.
Sowetan visited him at the school to find out what actually happened.
Mokau claims the assault was unprovoked.
"That policeman beat me up for no apparent reason. I still do not know what I did wrong," said Mokau, who was still complaining of pains in his body.
"What worries me is that since I opened a case on November 25, I was told the case had been referred to the director for public prosecutions for a decision but the decision is not forthcoming."
His attacker, whose name is known to Sowetan, is still on duty despite brutally assaulting the youth.
Mokau, who turns 19 next month, said he was at the local tavern where some patrons were playing snooker.
He said he accidentally touched a ball on the table while the game was on. He offered to reimburse the R2 the players were charged for a round of snooker.
While standing up to take the money out to pay the players, he accidentally hit a window pane with his right hand. It broke and a cut on his hand. According to Mokau, he bled profusely and an off-duty paramedic bandaged his hand.
Mokau said out of the blue a police officer came from behind, grabbed him by his shirt collar, and without saying a word started assaulting him.
In the video footage the policeman is seen dragging a bleeding Mokau to a police vehicle parked outside the tavern while kicking and strangling him.
The policeman is also seen slapping another youth, who seems to be assisting him to load Mokau into the van.
Yesterday the youth identified himself as 19-year-old David Moatshe, who is Mokau's friend.
Mokau said after being loaded into the van he was taken to the police station where an ambulance was waiting for him.
He was taken to hospital from which he was discharged the next day.
He then went straight to the police station to open a case of assault against the officer.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said internal investigations into the matter had been completed, and that a report would be forwarded to provincial commissioner Simon Mpembe for a decision on whether to suspend the officer or not "pending an internal hearing".
"As for the criminal case, we will await the DPP's decision," Mulaudzi said.
Assault cop still on duty
POLICE in Limpopo say they are considering whether or not to suspend a top police officer who beat a schoolboy to a pulp after he allegedly broke a window at a tavern.
The brutal assault, which was secretly recorded on a cellphone, happened on November 24 at a tavern in Vaalwater - a farming town just outside Modimolle.
Yesterday Norman Mokau, a Grade 10 pupil at Meetsetshehla Secondary School in Vaalwater, related his horrific experience at the hands of a police officer stationed at the local police station.
Sowetan visited him at the school to find out what actually happened.
Mokau claims the assault was unprovoked.
"That policeman beat me up for no apparent reason. I still do not know what I did wrong," said Mokau, who was still complaining of pains in his body.
"What worries me is that since I opened a case on November 25, I was told the case had been referred to the director for public prosecutions for a decision but the decision is not forthcoming."
His attacker, whose name is known to Sowetan, is still on duty despite brutally assaulting the youth.
Mokau, who turns 19 next month, said he was at the local tavern where some patrons were playing snooker.
He said he accidentally touched a ball on the table while the game was on. He offered to reimburse the R2 the players were charged for a round of snooker.
While standing up to take the money out to pay the players, he accidentally hit a window pane with his right hand. It broke and a cut on his hand. According to Mokau, he bled profusely and an off-duty paramedic bandaged his hand.
Mokau said out of the blue a police officer came from behind, grabbed him by his shirt collar, and without saying a word started assaulting him.
In the video footage the policeman is seen dragging a bleeding Mokau to a police vehicle parked outside the tavern while kicking and strangling him.
The policeman is also seen slapping another youth, who seems to be assisting him to load Mokau into the van.
Yesterday the youth identified himself as 19-year-old David Moatshe, who is Mokau's friend.
Mokau said after being loaded into the van he was taken to the police station where an ambulance was waiting for him.
He was taken to hospital from which he was discharged the next day.
He then went straight to the police station to open a case of assault against the officer.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said internal investigations into the matter had been completed, and that a report would be forwarded to provincial commissioner Simon Mpembe for a decision on whether to suspend the officer or not "pending an internal hearing".
"As for the criminal case, we will await the DPP's decision," Mulaudzi said.
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