By Kaya 959 News
A Durban police officer has found himself on the wrong side of the law after he allegedly forced two boys to drink petrol.
The officer, employed by Metro Police, is accused of assaulting the two boys after he claimed that they stole items from his house in Savanna Park, west of Durban.
It is alleged that the officer pointed his service pistol at the boys and forced them to admit that they had broken into his home on Saturday, before forcing them to drink petrol.
The boys who are victims of the incident are aged 13 and 16 with special needs and are pupils at Ningizimu Special School.
The boys sustained injuries – with one having to be rushed to the hospital to receive medical attention.
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MEC condemns the incident
KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, has condemned the incident.
“We are alarmed and quite frankly‚ disgusted by this incident. It is very shocking that an officer of the law will point a firearm at children and force them to admit to having broken into his home. We will not tolerate any form of behaviour that threatens the safety and wellbeing of children.
“It also worsens the situation that nothing was found from these vulnerable children. We are really taken aback by these allegations involving police officers who are supposed to be custodians of the law,” she said.
MEC Khoza said no one had a right to abuse children. She vowed not to leave this matter unattended.
“No police officer has a right to take the law into their own hands. How does a person get the audacity to point a firearm at children and force them to drink petrol.
“We will be engaging with the Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda and MEC for Community Safety and Liaison, Mrs Peggy Nkonyeni, to ensure that these allegations are investigated,” she added.
She said for someone to allegedly violate children’s rights in this manner really flies in the face of all of our efforts as a government to protect children and all vulnerable groups.
“We hope the law will take its course and rid the rogue officers.”
No charges laid
At this stage, no formal criminal charges had been laid yet against the Metro officer. However, the police management has indicated that they will assist the victims’ parents to lay charges.
Khoza has dispatched a team of social workers to meet with the families of the victims and provide them with psychosocial support.
The mother of one of the boys said she was left helpless by what had happened to her son. The woman said she lost her husband in 2020 and thought her son might die too. The woman said her son denied knowing anything about the stolen items. She said the other boy managed to get away during the assault but her son could not.
Metro Police spokesperson confirmed that the identity of the officer is known to management. He added that the matter is being investigated through an internal process.
