I am a young Asian Male. I reside in Hillcrest. On Thursday night 19 February 2015 at around 11pm I was on my way home after collecting a client from the airport and after taking him to his hotel when I was pulled over by a SAPS patrol van occupied by two black male Policemen.
This was along Old Main road in Hillcrest. The men approached my vehicle and I was put through a verbal sobriety test which I could only have passed as I do not drink alcohol.
The Policeman at my driver’s door said that he did not believe that I had not been drinking and he ordered me from my vehicle. I noted immediately that neither of these men had name badges.
The Policeman who ordered me from my vehicle told me that he suspected that I had been drinking and that because of this, he and his colleague were going to search my vehicle which they duly did despite my protest.
They literally turned my vehicle inside out, even going through my personal things which included my guitar case and sheet music. Finding nothing, I was told that I was going to be placed into custody and taken in the back of the Police van to the Police station whilst the other Policeman would drive my car.
I argued that I was sober and I had not even been subjected to a breathalyzer test. Still, they were adamant that I was to be arrested.
In desperation I warned these two Policemen that my Father is a personal friend of a high-ranking Policeman based at the Provincial Office KZN and that I was going to have this incident thoroughly investigated.
With that, the Policeman who had done most of the talking said “You think you are Clever? You can go. We will let you off this time”.
Let me off for what?
I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Was this a shake-down for money? Were these real Policemen? How many other people has this happened to? Young people, alone at night. Naive of the law. Intimidated by the uniform.
Please warn others to take note of this and if these are bona-fide Policemen, then they are bringing the good name of the SAPS into disrepute. If they are just thugs then the public should be made aware.
