Pretoria – Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko said she has been assured by Gauteng provincial commissioner of police Lieutenant General Elias Mawela that the case of a beaten, distressed Mamelodi woman was receiving attention.
The video of the woman has gone viral, with thousands of people commenting on it, and many wanting an explanation from the SAPS.
“Do you see my face, South Africans? I am here, I am now at the Silverton police station where I opened a case of assault in the early hours of today. My abuser is roaming the streets as we speak. The police did nothing to help us,” the battered woman said in the video.
“When we walked in here, they (police officers) were grovelling to him like a king and I knew something was going to happen. I opened multiple cases, reporting this person. He is making my life a living hell.”
The woman said she had driven to the Mamelodi police station but she found it closed.
“I literally drove around the police station, trying to get assistance, with nobody availing themselves. It looked empty as if there was no one, hence I had to drive from Mamelodi to Silverton,” she said.
The woman said the police officers only opened the case after calling the perpetrator and speaking to him, asking him to come to the station where he was later allowed to leave to go home.
Reacting to the video, which had around 300 000 views on Tuesday morning, Mazibuko said the case was receiving attention at the highest level.
“I have engaged the provincial commissioner Lt General Mawela about this video. He has assured me that he is dealing with it. I'm sad that the lady had to resort to doing this video for her matter to receive the attention it deserves. I will follow up with PC [provincial commissioner] on action taken,” Mazibuko wrote on Twitter.
Hours after the video had gone viral, the SAPS released a statement saying: “The management of the SAPS in Gauteng has noticed with concern a video circulating on social media platforms, where a complainant in an alleged domestic violence incident could not get assistance in Mamelodi, as the police station was closed.
“The complainant then proceeded to open a case of domestic violence and assault at Silverton. The Silverton police arrested the suspect in the early hours of December 12, 2021.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the case docket, as well as the arrested suspect, were then transferred by the Silverton police to SAPS Mamelodi for further investigation.
A detective in Mamelodi, who was allocated the case, charged the 46-year-old suspect with assault and released him on a warning to appear in court on December 30.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Mamelodi police station was closed due to decontamination, as there was a case of Covid-19 that was reported,” said Brigadier Muridili.
“The Community Service Centre was operating from the back entrance of the station.
“The station commander has also instituted an internal disciplinary investigation into the detective member that released the suspect on a warning, and failed to liaise with the complainant,” said Muridili.
Mazibuko also tweeted that she had been informed that the alleged perpetrator had been re-arrested.
IOL