Ngwako Modjadji
National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi is set to investigate allegations of racism, intimidation, corruption and maladministration against police officials at the Welbekend police station, outside Bronkhortspruit in Gauteng.
A representative of Selebi, Sally de Beer, confirmed this week that they are waiting for a report from the area commissioner in Pretoria before investigations start.
Area commissioner Amon Mashego launched his own probe after Welbekend residents marched to their police station last week and handed a complaint to the station commissioner regarding alleged racist practices.
The protest march was a sequel to protracted attacks, intimidation and other criminal conduct allegedly perpetrated by local farmers, some police officials and white commando members against the Welbekend residents. A campaign of harassment to evict farm workers is alleged to be the cause.
Welbekend police officials are facing allegations of colluding with farm owners and white commando members, taking bribes and helping them to avoid charges.
Some police officials at the station, who spoke to the Mail & Guardian on condition they remained anonymous, complained that black police officials who have cases investigated against them are suspended while white police officials in the same position are allowed to work.
Welbekend station commissioner Philip Stone said he is “aware of the allegations regarding alleged racist practices at the station”, but declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, Richard Sibanyoni, speaker of the Motsweding district municipality, who is also involved with Nkusi Associates, an NGO that assists rural land claimants, said community leaders are planning to approach Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota with allegations that white commando members are harassing Welbekend residents.
A spokesperson for the minister, Sam Mkhwanazi, said it is totally unacceptable for South African National Defence Force (SANDF) officials to engage in criminal activities.
“Racism in general is outlawed, unconstitutional and unacceptable, but particularly with the people representing the SANDF, tasked with protecting integrity and sovereignty and the laws of the country.”
Mkhwanazi said the minister will visit various communities and commandos to try to deal with the problem because, he said, it keeps on surfacing: “There were problems where commandos were beating up people in Mpumalanga, the North West and Northern Province.”
Sibanyoni and other community leaders say the ill-treatment of farm workers by white police officials and commando members since 1994 has been reported to the police. The suspects have been identified but no arrests have been made.
They say that the racist harassment of farm workers at Welbekend started immediately after the first democratic election in 1994, when farmers started to evict farm workers even though some of them had been there for more than 10 years. About 200 farm workers have been evicted or given trekpas notices, says Nkusi Associates.
The NGO says it has managed to stop the evictions of some farm workers and to stop some of the ill-treatment.
Sibanyoni alleged eight people were assaulted recently by white police officials and commando members. A local doctor had confirmed the assault and the victims had provided police with the identity of their assailants, but there have been no arrests.
Welbekend residents have asked Selebi to replace some of the white policemen at the local station. And they say if a solution is not found they will have no choice but to take the law into their own hands.