The Black Forum South Africa (BFSA) has filed a theft case against police officers in the Sedibeng District, Gauteng, who are accused of consuming confiscated alcohol from a local nightclub.
The organization’s CEO, Kgagudi Morota, visited the family of the nightclub owner after they reported mistreatment by the police during a raid last month.
Family members allege that the raid was conducted without a warrant and described the officers’ behavior as inhumane. The case has been handed over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) for further investigation.
Morota expressed his concern, stating, “This is a sad story in democratic South Africa, especially in townships where widows struggle to establish businesses like these liquor outlets. Law enforcement agencies, in the form of the South African Police Service (SAPS), saw this as an opportunity to target them, steal alcohol, and share it among themselves. It is shocking to see on CCTV footage female SAPS officers holding expensive alcohol, dancing for it, and celebrating the seized goods.”
The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability within the SAPS.
BLACK FORUM SOUTH AFRICA STATEMENT ON OPENING A CASE AGAINST POLICE WHO ABUSED AND ILLEGALLY CONFISTICATED ALCOHOL FROM A FEMALE PUB OWNER.#blackforumsa pic.twitter.com/mCJIycloK9
— Unisa Black Forum (@unisablackforum) December 7, 2023