PRETORIA: A video of a Mamelodi woman in distress – complaining about the lack of help from the police – that went viral, has resulted in the arrest of the alleged abuser.
The woman, whose face had bruises and parts of her hair appeared to have been ripped off, pleaded for help from Police Minister Bheki Cele and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.
Beaten up, bruised with a black eye, the woman said she was in more distress when she found the Mamelodi Police Station closed.
She said, fearing for her life, she drove from Mamelodi to Silverton, Pretoria, in the middle of the night.
She continued to explain that when she arrived at the Silverton Police Station, a female police officer insisted on speaking to the alleged abuser on the telephone, before she agreed to open the case.
The police officer was heard by the complainant, pleading with her abuser to come to the police station.
Disappointed at the turn of events, the articulate complainant said she felt the police were bending over backwards to accommodate the suspect, while doing nothing to protect her.
In the video, the complainant asks what she was supposed to do after reporting the abuse. She asked if she was expected to go back home to her abuser or risk her life in the streets.
Hours later, police released a statement saying: “The management of the SAPS in Gauteng has noticed with concern a video circulating on social media platforms, where a complainant in an alleged domestic violence incident could not get assistance in Mamelodi, as the police station was closed.
“The complainant then proceeded to open a case of domestic violence and assault at Silverton. The Silverton police arrested the suspect in the early hours of December 12, 2021.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the case docket, as well as the arrested suspect, were then transferred by the Silverton police to SAPS Mamelodi for further investigation.
A detective in Mamelodi, who was allocated the case, charged the 46-year-old suspect with assault and released him on a warning to appear in court on December 30, 2021.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Mamelodi Police Station was closed due to decontamination, as there was a case of Covid-19 that was reported,” explained Brigadier Muridili.
“The Community Service Centre was operating from the back entrance of the station.
“The station commander has also instituted an internal disciplinary investigation into the detective member that released the suspect on a warning, and failed to liaise with the complainant,” said Muridili.
MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko retweeted the video, with a reply saying she has engaged the provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Mawela about the video, and he assured her that he was dealing with it.
“I'm sad that the lady had to resort to doing this video for her matter to receive the attention it deserves,” wrote the MEC on Twitter.
IOL