“This is a serious criminal matter and Rodger’s life is still in danger while he is in hospital. The police are denying him his human rights.”
THE FAMILY of Rodger Johnson, the alleged drug dealer who was shot and injured outside the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, are outraged after the local police apparently refused to grant him “police protection” while he is being treated in hospital.
Johnson was critically injured when he was shot five times outside the court, after having been granted bail of R2,000 following his appearance on a charge of attempted murder.
He suffered two gunshot wounds in his back, one in the shoulder, one in the chest and one in the arm.
A 28-year-old woman, who is believed to be the girlfriend of a rival of Johnson, was arrested in connection with the incident.
She has been charged with attempted murder and is expected to appear in court on Monday, December 28.
Johnson’s family have accused the police of putting his life at risk by not securing the hospital ward where he is admitted.
“There was an incident where a man was shot and killed inside Robert Sobukwe Hospital by a group of unknown men. That is a sign of the easy access that heavily-armed suspects have to the institution,” the family members said on Thursday. “This is a serious criminal matter and Rodger’s life is still in danger while he is in hospital. The police are denying him his human rights.
“We are not saying that Rodger is a saint and we acknowledge that he has a criminal past, but he still has rights and the police are denying him of those rights.”
They claimed that the man who Johnson is accused of shooting in Roodepan about a month ago, received police protection during his stay in hospital.
“The man whom Rodger is accused of shooting had police protection when he was in hospital. His ward was even cordoned off. The police now refuse to do the same for Rodger,” they said.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Dimakatso Mooi denied the allegations that the other victim had police protection while he was treated for his injuries.
“There was no police protection provided for either of the victims. Police guarding is only provided to suspects in hospital. A victim can only be provided protection if there is intelligence-driven information that suggests that the victim’s life is in danger,” said Mooi.
