AfriForum will privately prosecute TMPD officers after incidents involving teacher and German professor
In a letter to Lieutenant General J.M. Nkomo AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit today requested that a group of officers of the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) be made available for consultation with regards to the private prosecution AfriForum will bring against them. The prosecution is related to two incidents during which the metro police officers allegedly acted inappropriately when they pulled off Kymie du Toit (a teacher from Pretoria) and (in a separate incident) the German professor André Thomashausen. AfriForum is acting on behalf of Du Toit and Thomashausen in the organisation’s private prosecution against the officers in question.
This follows after AfriForum’s announcement of a comprehensive campaign in June this year against the alleged misconduct and abuse of power by some TMPD members. In a letter to Lt Gen Nkomo on 25 June, AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit demanded that she should take serious steps against these officers. In a reply to AfriForum’s letter, Lt Gen Nkomo said the investigation into the Thomashausen incident found that the professor didn’t suffer any visible injuries and therefore no grounds existed for suspecting misconduct or to justify reasons for disciplinary action against the officers.
During AfriForum’s media conference in June, professor Thomashausen described how the incident traumatised him, as well as his overseas passengers, and how he feared for his life because of the aggressive behaviour of some of the officers (watch the video clip here).
“Although AfriForum welcomes the TMPD’s comprehensive reply to our letter, we cannot ignore the fact that they are neglecting to act against these officers. The Private Prosecution Unit finds it concerning that there is an increasing trend for the government to launch quick one-sided investigations into the misconduct of officials. These investigations usually find these officials innocent, even though thorough consultation usually proves these hurried findings to be irrational. For this reason AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit will prosecute these officials privately to ensure that justice is served for Du Toit and professor Thomashausen,” says Andrew Leask, Head Investigator at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.
Members of the public who have fallen victim to incidents of abuse of power by TMPD members are encouraged to report it on AfriForum’s complaints platform. These incidents will also be sent directly to Lt Genl Nkomo. This platform is aimed specifically at misconduct by members of the TMPD, but people in other areas of the country with similar complaints about metro police members can also share their information via this platform.
