Wonder Hlongwa
Security forces deployed to maintain peace and stability in the volatile Richmond area in Kwazulu-Natal have been accused of assaulting people during their attempts to extract information about the violence.
Last Saturday night, Sithembiso Mchunu was attending a night vigil for two United Democratic Movement supporters who had been killed. Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) 121 Batallion entered the venue and removed him for questioning.
Mchunu is one of 18 people in the area who have laid charges against the SANDF.
He was taken to an army base in the area where he claims he was questioned about illegal firearms and whether he knew alleged Richmond warlord Sifiso Nkabinde.
Mchunu said he did not have the information they were seeking and claimed he was severely beaten and kicked by the soldiers.
“They asked me if I was Mr Mchunu who owns a taxi. I said yes. Then they took me to their camp for interrogation. I realised later that they could be confusing me with another taxi owner from Ndaleni. After they beat me, they didn’t apologise,” he alleged.
Sicebi Mchunu was also arrested by soldiers and claims that they beat him on the way to their camp. He alleges they told him to take off his jacket to wipe off the blood. The jacket was then thrown away. Mchunu also claims the soldiers stole his watch.
No arrests have followed the charges, some of which were reported a month ago. Captain Andrew Keartlend of the South African Police Services in Richmond said they were still investigating the claims.
But Major Neils Burger of the SANDF denied they used excessive force when searching for firearms or questioning suspects.
“We have certain names of people who we are looking for. So we have a right to question people in the street, but we don’t beat them,” he said.
He asked people who had been assaulted to report the incidents to the police.