A Zimbabwean national, Joram Mahwerera, is accusing officers from the Waterval police station of abusing him and other vendors for years.
Joram is a photographer who operates his small business in the vicinity of Hubyeni Complex in Elim. He said that the police officers would approach him and demand that he hand them bribe money in exchange for remaining at large in the streets of Elim, because he had no valid passport.
"But last Thursday I refused, because I now have a valid passport," he said. "The uniformed police officer, who was used to demanding money from me, snatched my passport and hit me with it in the face. He shouted that I should just go back to Zimbabwe. He then assaulted me and manhandled me."
According to Joram, the female hawkers who were around shouted at the police officer and told him that what he was doing was totally wrong. The police officer allegedly kept on beating Joram.
"Some mothers (women) then came forward with the aim of using mob force to beat the police officer," he said. "It's then that he left me alone when he realised that the mothers were angry and wanted to beat him."
Joram maintains that some people who watched him being beaten even used their mobile phones to take pictures and video clips. Since last Friday he has been trying to obtain the video clips to use as evidence.
He alleges that, after the incident, he tried to open a criminal case against the police officer at the Waterval police station, but he was turned away. He obtained a medical report compiled by a professional doctor at Elim Hospital, stating that he had sustained some swelling on the back of the neck and wrist. The report concluded that he had multiple bruises associated with blunt force trauma.
Joram said that he went to the police station on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but the police officers at the charge office were not very co-operative. However, at the end of the day, Joram opened a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The police officer he complained about also laid a charge against Joram, saying that he had sworn at him. "He said that the other police officers must lock me up in the cells, but they refused," Joram said.
The spokesperson for Limpopo police, Moatshe Ngoepe, said that he had requested the station commander to look into all Joram's grievances, including an allegation that the medical report might have been destroyed. "We can further confirm that Mr Mahwerera opened a case against a police officer, who had also opened a case against him," Ngoape said. "We are investigating the matter and once we are done, the two cases will be handed to the public protector for a decision."
Joram called Limpopo Mirror on Tuesday and alleged that more police officers came and harassed him at his spot at Hubyeni Complex. "They took my camera bag and told me to come and fetch it at the Waterval police station if I wanted it," he said. "Now that they took the medical report, they also want to arrest me as if I were a criminal. I wish the mothers could supply me with the clips of the videos which they took when he was beating me, for me to use as proof that I was really assaulted."