Umkomaas ward councillor Jane Naidoo has revealed new details about the police officers involved in the controversial assault at Umkomaas Beach. Picture: Screenshot / Facebook
Umkomaas ward councillor Jane Naidoo has revealed new details about the police officers involved in the controversial assault at Umkomaas Beach.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Naidoo shared that she had contacted the Umkomaas police station and requested a meeting with the station commander, Colonel Mngadi, to discuss the incident and address community concerns.
The video of the incident showed several officers using force in attempting to arrest the fisherman over claims that he had caught more fish than permitted.
https://x.com/IOL/status/1813252375899218007"The Colonel has since briefed me that the operation was conducted by Fisheries Control and SAPS members which did not include members of the Umkomaas police station. All of the officers involved in the incident are external members," Naidoo said.
In an email response to Naidoo, advocate Anthony Mitchell from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment assured her that the Department takes "allegations of racist behaviour by any of our DFFE officials very seriously“.
"I have instructed the Deputy-Director, who has jurisdiction over this matter, to compile an urgent report for Deputy Minister Narend Singh," Mitchell wrote.
Following the altercation, Wesley George Naidoo was arrested and detained. According to Naidoo, he was scheduled to appear in Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on July 15, on charges of common assault, defeating the ends of justice, and disarming the police.
"The SAPS officers involved in the incident are reportedly from the King Shaka Airport precinct in the Durban North Cluster, which is three clusters away from the South," Naidoo stated.
Despite these charges, the case was thrown out as the State declined to prosecute. SAPS provincial spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the case was not enrolled due to outstanding statements needed for the docket.
Regarding the allegations of police officers being from King Shaka International Airport, Netshiunda stated that "police officers are police regardless of where they are stationed“.
IOL