Five Vredenburg police officers implicated in the death of a man they arrested have been granted bail of R1 500 each.
Alvin Koopman, Franklin van Rooyen, Mzamo Mbovane, Guilliam van Zyl and Renaldo Joubert made their second appearance in the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday 3 December).
On Wednesday 25 November the officers were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), following an incident on 23 October in which they allegedly assaulted Jason Heyns – a suspect in a case they were investigating – while arresting him because he was resisting them.
Heyns’ sister, Jessica, told Weslander (‘Niks kan dit regverdig nie’, 12 November) the officers continued their assault at the police station. They allegedly “kicked him in the head and choked him before they dragged him by his feet out of the charge office.”
He was taken to hospital only some hours later, around 18:00, but was in a coma by then. He was transported to the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, where he died on 1 November. In a press release Ipid confirmed Heyns’ family had reported the incident to it, and not the Vredenburg police, which was against standard procedure.
During Thursday’s court appearance the state opposed the bail, arguing that the charges of murder brought against the accused were a serious matter.
“The prosecutor submitted an affidavit from the investigating officer, who was opposing bail and also submitted a statement from a local councillor who indicated that the community was opposed to the police officers being granted bail,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.
The presiding officer said it was not his job, at this stage, to decide what had occurred at the scene of the crime, and it was in the interests of the justice system that the accused be released on bail.
The men were released on condition they refrain from talking to witnesses and stay within the Western Cape, or leave only with the consent of the presiding officer. They are also not allowed to return to Louwville and, if possible, their commander should redeploy them outside the area.
The case was postponed to 27 January 2021 for further investigation.
