‘Failed by the law’ more than once
Nemato resident Bonisile Gibson Gaga feels like the police and social development have failed him on more than one occasion.
After his separation from his wife, Gaga said he had been assaulted and wounded by people he suspects were sent by his wife. This was after he won a case for the custody of their four children, aged 3, 7, 13 and 14.
“I have been staying with my kids since 2016 after winning a case against my soon-to-be ex-wife, but that didn’t bring joy for much longer. Ever since winning the case, she has never stopped tormenting me. I reported the matter to the police and got a protection order against her. After that she got a protection order against me too,” Gaga said.
“In 2018, she decided to come and fetch our last-born child to take her to the clinic. She never brought her back. When she returned, she had papers for me to sign and ever since she has not returned with them.
“I have gone to court to ask them to return the case and they have not done so after promising they would,” he said.
Gaga has had several cases opened against him by his wife, accusing him of crimes he said he didn’t commit, and he has been detained for those crimes without appearing in court.
He has complained and opened several cases of his own. Documents provided to Talk of the Town reveal Gaga opened four cases at the Nemato police station, with accompanying case numbers. He said none of them were investigated. He said he made three further complaints to the same police station, and nothing came of the complaints.
“Instead of attending to my cases, these people have accused me of being the aggressor,” he said.
“On November 6, I held a meeting with [Nemato station commander] Lieutenant-Colonel Cowan Cannon to seek clarity about the sloppiness and collusion between police officials, social development and my wife that led to my unlawful detention several times.
“After a lengthy conversation about the subject with the station commander, he suggested that I approach other bodies if am not happy with his police officers,” an incredulous Gaga said.
“I have been in police cells ever since her protection order was granted, and this has affected my health as well. This is also affecting the kids in a negative way, even at social development they have taken my wife’s side.”
In attempts to solve his problems, he has written a number of letters to the department of justice in the Eastern Cape, the Commission for Gender Equality, and the Human Rights Commission, but he has received no response. The only response he ever received was from the department of social development in June 2018, which provided a social worker’s summary of the family dispute. TotT also has a copy.
But Gaga said the report was full of inaccuracies. Even though he was the one who had approached social development for assistance, he said they took his wife’s word over his.
In a follow-up, he said the social development office in Makhanda had promised to get back to him by Friday this week.
TotT contacted the department of social development and SAPS spokesperson Captain Mali Govender for comment, but no response had been received by the time of going to print.