Victim wins police payout

The police minister has been ordered to pay over R2.7 million damages to a middle-aged Rustenburg handyman who was beaten up and gang-raped by detainees in a cell at the Rustenburg police station.

Judge Bert Bam granted an order in terms of a settlement reached between the 50-year-old man and the police, where the minister also agreed to pay the man’s legal costs.

The man initially claimed over R3.2 million from the police after he was mistaken for a Nigerian in September, 2011 and unlawfully arrested on a charge of “man slaving”.

He was detained in a cell with about 20 other inmates for four days before he was unconditionally released. During his detention at the police station, fellow inmates stripped him of all of his clothing and sexually assaulted and raped him until the early hours of the next morning.

The police did not supervise the cells at all during the night and refused to take him to hospital or to let him phone his family the next morning.

He was taken to court on the fourth day, but the case was struck off the roll as the docket did not stipulate any offence and there were no statements by the alleged complainants.

He was retrenched and now battles to find and keep employment.

Psychologist Sasha van der Merwe said in a report the man suffered from major depression and post traumatic stress disorder and had symptoms of anxiety. He was on treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, battled to concentrate, startled easily and had nightmares.

Where he used to be a friendly, social man who loved fishing and helping others, he became withdrawn socially and mostly confined himself to his house. He developed marital problems because he avoided sex with his wife due to vivid recollections of his rape ordeal.