Resident claims cops pepper-sprayed him between the buttocks

Thando Badi alleges he was punched and kicked, and pepper-sprayed between the buttocks by five officers.

He claims he was later dumped at a bushy area on the outskirts of Bhongweni location in Cookhouse.

Badi, 27, did report the alleged assault, but according to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani,  there was “insufficient credible evidence which led to the view that there was no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution”.

Badi said he was on his way home when a police vehicle stopped in front of him at about 8.30pm on May 21 2017.

“I lived in this same street and told the police there was no need for a lift.

“A female officer said I should not give them ‘sh*t’.”

Badi said he had refused the offer, but was then cuffed and thrown into the police vehicle.  

His assault is one of several in Cookhouse which have been reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

Residents allege excessive police brutality has continued unabated for years in the town.

Badi said he was slapped while being driven to the Mini Market on Somerset Road, where he was  dragged to an area behind the grocery shop.

According to Badi, the police officers then forced his pants down, told him to bend over and pepper-sprayed him between the buttocks.

Badi said it took almost five days before the burning sensation stopped.

“I could not feel myself. I was lost. I did not know what I had done.”

Shop owner Steven Goncalves told The Herald that his shop closed at 8pm, and he could not remember  anything or any sounds that were odd during that time in 2017.

He said his cameras only showed the front of the shop and they deleted footage after 30 days.

However, no-one had ever talked about such an event [alleged assault] taking place either, he said.

Badi said five officers assaulted him by either punching or kicking him.

They also urinated on his hat and told him to wash his face with the urine, he said.

When he refused, he was forced to wear the hat. He later burnt it.

Badi was treated at Andries Vosloo Hospital but said he was not given a copy of his medical form (J88) written up by a doctor.

He reported the case to the police the day after the alleged assault and submitted his J88 document to them on May 23 2017.

But while Badi said he was never contacted by Ipid or the police, Ipid spokesperson Ndileka Cola said Badi’s case was closed as the NPA had declined to prosecute.

“Departmental [police] proceedings were also finalised and the officers found not guilty.”

She failed to respond to a question about why Badi was never interviewed by Ipid.

Badi said that after the alleged assault, he was eventually dropped off in the bushes on the outskirts of Cookhouse, with one of the officers chasing after him in the bushes for a while.

Once Badi found his bearings, he managed to find a friend’s house.

“I entered his house crying. He took me home.”

Badi said he had struggled to walk for weeks and had to sit with his legs spread open, including in taxis.

“I had to pay for three seats because I could not close my legs,” Badi said.

He said the entire assault had lasted up to three hours.

“My friend said it was almost midnight when I ran into his house.”

His grandmother, Rebecca Ndlela, 75, said when she opened the door on the night, Badi was so badly beaten up she barely recognised him.

“He said his body was sore, and that it was [his buttocks] burning.

“He told me the police had taken him to a secluded spot behind a building where they beat him up.”

Ndlela said she felt sick to her stomach when she recalled the assault.

“I get a headache just trying to understand why the police did this.

“They ridiculed him and shamed him.” 

Ndlela said the trauma of that night had changed Badi.

“He became a different person.

“He self-isolated and opted to be alone. He would only stay in his room.”

She insists that neither the police nor Ipid contacted the family.

“We do not trust the police,” she said.

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