IN PAARL EAST CELLS
Reporter – George April
PAARL:- Another shocking case of police abuse has surfaced, this time in the Boland.
A Paarl East police officer was arrested for allegedly raping two detainees inside holding cells at the local police station.
The officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken into custody on March 27 and has since appeared in court. He was released on bail, and the case is expected to continue on May 7.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the arrest and court appearance. Meanwhile, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has handed the matter over to SAPS’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) for investigation.
This case is the sixth of its kind involving SAPS officers since November 2024.
In a previous incident, two Moorreesburg officers were accused of kidnapping and raping a woman after offering her a lift from a local farm. And in January, a constable working in the sexual crimes court at Blue Downs allegedly raped a female remandee. Similar incidents in Mfuleni and Malmesbury followed in late 2024.
Community advocate Bernard Pieters of Cape Forum said the repeated offenses were eroding public trust: “Police are meant to uphold the law, not abuse their power.” He cited a 2023 study that found trust in SAPS had fallen below that of the SABC and SARS.
Whistleblower Zona Morton called the situation a “pandemic of abuse” within the police and urged the Provincial Commissioner to roll out urgent GBV workshops for all SAPS officers.
Hazel Road Robbery Under Investigation
Athlone:- Police are investigating a robbery at a business on Hazel Road, where three armed men stormed the shop and held staff at gunpoint. According to Naweed Mohammed of the Athlone CPF, the robbers escaped with cash and a staff member’s cellphone. No injuries were reported.
