A Kimberley man has started legal proceedings against members of the Kimberley SAPS Tactical Response Team after allegedly being assaulted during what he regards as a “false arrest”.
A KIMBERLEY man has started legal proceedings against members of the Kimberley SAPS Tactical Response Team (TRT) after allegedly being assaulted during what he regards as a “false arrest”.
According to the alleged victim, Stefan Rautenbach, he was babysitting his boss’s two children on May 15 when about 18 SAPS members stormed the house and assaulted him.
The 65-year-old Rautenbach said it was common for his boss to call him to stay with the children when he had to travel and his wife was not available.
He stated that the police gained entry to the property by jumping over the gate and fence and then pointed firearms at him, before they allegedly started assaulting him in front of the children.
“They suddenly accosted me, thinking that I am my boss whom they were looking for,” said Rautenbach.
“I was sitting with the kids playing a game in the lapa when one of the children suddenly froze with shock. When I turned my head, I looked right into a machine gun.
“I asked ‘who are you’, and one of them shouted at me to ‘shut up … police’.
“I was thrown to the ground, kicked and shoved around.
Rautenbach, who has prostate cancer, claims that his condition was “triggered” by all the kicking he endured during the alleged assault.
“I want the police to pay for the trauma, humiliation and injuries that I suffered on that day.
“They held me hostage for more than an hour despite the fact that I told them that I was not the person they were looking for. I can’t understand why and how they could mistake me for my boss, because he is much younger than me,” said Rautenbach.
“They went to fetch the gardener, whom they also assaulted in a separate room, before they directed us to walk behind the children, out of the lapa. We had to walk with our hands held behind our heads as if we were criminals.”
Rautenbach said he was only released after the police spoke to his boss on the phone and his boss assured them that he would be returning home.
“That was very inhuman of the police to treat me like that, more especially since I am a senior citizen. I never came across as violent to them and was just playing a snakes and ladders game with children.
“I think they might have thought that I was the person they were looking for, although they were there for a 34-year-old while I am much older than that. The police can’t make such mistakes and just attack innocent people like that.”
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) confirmed that they are aware of the alleged incident.
Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said the case was not investigated as the alleged victim “indicated that he didn’t know the suspects”.
“Ipid does not deal with civil litigation on cases against police members,” Raburabu said with regard to whether Ipid was aware of the civil claim.
