Juma Igiranieza was assaulted during a raid at his barbershop in November 2023.
The torture case against three South African Police Service (SAPS) officers was postponed at the Wynberg Regional Court in Cape Town on Wednesday after the court heard that one of the accused wants to enter into a plea agreement.
Lawyers for Colonel Delmore Manuel told Magistrate Karel Meyer that they would like a postponement in order to submit a proposal to the court about a plea agreement.
Manuel is accused alongside Constable Jermaine Conradie and Constable Leigh-Ann Maroon of assaulting Juma Igiranieza, a barber, during a raid at his workplace, Perfect Touch Boutique and Salon, in Mowbray on 7 November 2023.
GroundUp published CCTV footage on 10 November showing several officers, one in plain clothes, assaulting Igiranieza. In the footage, at least two officers participated directly in the assault, while other officers looked on. Igiranieza was pummelled, struck repeatedly with a wooden object, and smothered with plastic.
Igiranieza sustained a laceration of the right eyebrow, a tear on the lower lip and swelling around the left jaw, according to the report of his medical examination after the assault. He was at court on Wednesday but did not go into the courtroom.
The three officers were arrested on 22 April 2024, and are currently out on R2,000 bail each.
In their last appearance in October, lawyers for all three said their clients would plead not guilty.
Meyer granted the postponement on Wednesday to 12 June for a possible plea agreement.
GroundUp asked Western Cape police spokesperson Frederick Van Wyk whether the officers were still on active duty. He had not replied by the time of publication. But he has previously said: “It is our policy to conduct a departmental investigation following any misconduct or criminal investigation against a member of SAPS, however this is an internal process between the employer and the employee and dealt with as such. Due process regarding disciplinary actions are under way.”
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (IPID) annual report for the 2023/2024 financial year, 3,176 complaints of assault were reported to the police during the year. “Of these, 3,176 were assault cases, 621 were cases of complaints of discharge of an official firearm(s), 460 were cases of deaths as a result of police action followed by 273 cases of torture and 212 deaths in police custody.”
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Gov Skull
Fun South African Fact: The Lion, the cheetah and the wildebeest are three of the five fastest animals in the world and they all live in South Africa.
Gutzd
A Priest was seated next to Van Der Merwe on a flight to Brakpan.
After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken.
Van Der Merwe asked for a Rum and Coke, which was brought and placed before him.
The flight attendant then asked the priest if he would like a drink.
He replied in disgust \”I\’d rather be savagely raped by a dozen whores than let liquor touch my lips.\”
Van Der Merwe then handed his drink back to the attendant and said \”Me too, I didn\’t know we had a choice.\”