‘I’m going to kill you like Floyd,’ cop tells doc

A seasoned pulmonologist – who has been working around the clock to help combat Covid-19 – has allegedly been throttled and assaulted by Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers.

Dr Emmanuel Taban and his wife, a physiotherapist, both working at Midstream Mediclinic hospital in Tshwane, have claimed that unidentified officers harassed, assaulted and throttled Taban until he passed out on the R54 on Saturday afternoon.

He said this happened while on way to work on Covid-19 patients. His troubles began after he overtook a truck. He said the officers stopped him.

“I stopped and put my mask on and rolled my window down. [The officer] first spoke to me in Tswana. I heard him asking for my licence. I took it out and he kept talking in Tswana, so I asked if he can speak English because I did not understand.”

Taban said the officer asked him to step out of his car. “I stepped out and showed him the licence. I told him I am a doctor and wanted to keep some distance from him. Then he told me, ‘you are under arrest’. He said I went through a solid line and reckless driving. I asked if there isn’t a fine. He said no, I had to be arrested.”

Taban asked if his wife could leave, the officers said yes. “But then he said I must move and started pushing me. My wife got out the car and asked why he was being so aggressive.”

Taban said the officer began swearing at her, allegedly calling her a “whore”, saying she “sleeps with foreigners”.

The officer also allegedly asked Taban why he was behaving like a white person.

“My wife was so angry. I asked her to calm down because through this whole thing, his hand was on his gun.”

He said the officer began pushing them “and it got a bit ugly”.

He said: “I told him this is not acceptable and then I took my phone and began recording him. Then my wife started recording and it aggravated him more.” The officers then instructed the couple to follow them to Lyttelton police station, Taban said.

“I got out of the car and took a picture of the number plate. Then they said you are under arrest.”

He said was then handcuffed. “I didn’t resist. Then he wanted the phone from my wife. He wrestled my wife down to the ground and from there picked up her phone.

“Then the other traffic guys got it and they wanted my wife to give them the [phone] PIN code. They pushed my wife and were merciless... She did and they deleted all the photos.”

Taban said that, after seeing his wife assaulted, he realised he needed to preserve his own telephonic evidence. His wife managed to take his phone from his pocket. “My hands were tied, he grabbed me by the throat and said: ‘I am going to kill you like George Floyd.’ He squeezed my throat and I blacked out.”

He said his wife then handed over the phone and the videos and photos were deleted.

Taban said he was taken to Lyttelton police station where he was charged with driving through a solid line, reckless driving and assaulting a police officer.

Taban is a highly qualified medical expert who holds three medical degrees.

He left South Sudan for South Africa at the age of 16, after his father was killed in the civil war.

TMPD spokesperson Isaac Mahamba did not respond to numerous requests for comment. – News24 Wire

Officer said he’ll kill me ‘like George Floyd’