Cape Town - Atlantis residents on Monday detailed brutality at the hands of SAPS, City Law Enforcement and private security companies even when they were not involved in any land occupations or protests.
Residents had the opportunity to make representations during the South African African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) second sitting in its provincial hearing into what it said was a “systemic issue”, in how SAPS, City of Cape Town Law Enforcement and Private Security Companies conduct themselves during evictions of unlawful occupiers and interactions with homeless persons in the Western Cape.
The first sitting was in April this year.
Atlantis resident Will Afrika said he was shot three times by members of the Red Ants while walking to the shop, as they were evicting land occupiers in the area two years ago.
“When I got there the shop was closed and I decided to check other shops to see if they were open. While I was on my way, I was stopped by Red Ants officials. They just shot at me three times with rubber bullets. They shot me in the stomach and both my legs. I had to walk from the hospital to home while in pain. On my way home, I met with the police van and I asked them if they could drop me at home, but they refused,” said Afrika.
Africa Restoration Alliance (ARA) member Donae September said they were standing up for people from the community who have been brutalized by law enforcement and police.
“Innocent people were brutally attacked during the land invasion in our community, they also have a right to land within Atlantis because it is their indigenous land but they were assaulted. There are so many people who have been brutalized and want to speak out but they can not, because they feel that the justice system has failed us,” said September. SAHRC
Commissioner Chris Nissen said the commission will release a full report before the end of the year regarding the sittings.
“This hearing came because of the complaints the commission received last year and the year before about alleged brutality violence by law enforcement agencies both in the Atlantis area and Knysna.
Early this year, we conducted the first part of the hearing in Knysna listening to the complaints of homeless communities on how they were treated, their belongings thrown away and beaten up, and being hunted around. There was a protest where families went to put up some structures and then the private security company came in and started shooting at the people.
People were severely injured and a lot of people had rubber bullets and wounds. This is the second leg of the hearing in listening to the complaints of Atlantis people, their own personal experiences,” said Nissen.
The City, Saps, and the private security industry are expected to make submissions on Tuesday.
Cape Times