VUSI “Khekhe” Mathibela claims he was assaulted by cops after being arrested.
The 33-year-old Mamelodi taxi boss appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court under heavy police guard yesterday.
Mathibela is charged with extortion, intimidation and assault. This comes after claims surfaced that a gang was forcing business people and taxi operators in Mamelodi to pay protection money.
The kasi was so troubled that Police Minister Bheki Cele held an imbizo with residents. Cele then sent the tactical response team to the township.
During his court appearance, Mathibela’s lawyer Annelene van den Heever produced an affidavit in which her client claimed he was assaulted by cops when he was detained in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday.
She argued the arrest was unlawful as Mathibela was not arrested in terms of the warrant and they were not given the docket.
“At a later stage, I was booked out by a large contingent of police officers who assaulted me,” Mathibela alleged in the affidavit.
Her motion to challenge the lawfulness of the arrest was dismissed.The matter was postponed to today, when Mathibela will appear with his co-accused.
