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Foreigner Beaten Up By Cops - Witnesses

Cape Argus (Cape Town)

NEWS
28 May 2008
Posted to the web 29 May 2008

By Lavern de Vries

A band of baton-wielding police officers are alleged to have assaulted a
Nigerian national in an unverified incident during a routine operation to check
on documentation in the centre of Cape Town.
However, refugee advocacy group People Against Suffering, Supression,
Oppression and Poverty (Passop) says a moratorium has been placed on deporting
immigrants, making such checks unnecessary.
On Tuesday, a group of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo
appeared frenzied when they rushed into the Cape Argus building to complain
about "unacceptable" behaviour from police.
One of them, Albert Kasonga, said he and two friends were working near Cape
Town station when about five SAPS officers, on foot patrol, appeared and asked
them for their documentation.
"We gave them our papers but a Nigerian man next to us, who sold sweets and
cigarettes, offered his papers to them, which had expired," said Kasonga.
They said the police officers then wanted to arrest the man but he resisted
verbally, saying that he was too afraid to visit the Department of Home Affairs
Nyanga office to renew his papers.
The DRC nationals insisted that the man had not been aggressive or violent with
the officers.
"He said he would not be arrested and then they took out pepper spray and
sprayed it at him. They then started moering him with their batons and kicking
him until he bled," said another man, John Isaac.
Two security officers also beat the unarmed man, he alleged.
Immigrants who had witnessed the incident called on fellow vendors to assist
the man. About 20 other immigrants appeared, reportedly prompting the police
officers to call for back up, said Isaac.
Kasonga said that when they left, the unidentified Nigerian man was bleeding
profusely from his head.
"The police are not supposed to do that," said Isaac. "Just because we are
foreigners, they shouldn't think they can treat us like that."
Passop has condemned the incident, saying that a moratorium had been put in
place for deporting immigrants.
"The police therefore have no reason to ask for documents," said Passop head
Braam Hanekom.
Police were unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

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