A Vaal Triangle business-woman has roped in the two top legal minds to sue the minister of police, Bheki Cele, and the police for harassment, unlawful arrest, and theft.
This comes after Puleng Letsaba, an entrepreneur from Sharpeville who has business interests in night-life, events, and catering, had her two businesses raided by the same police officer.
Sunday World has the name of the police officer in question.
Letsaba hired the CEO of Black Forum South Africa (BFSA) advocate Kgagudi Morota and Theo Mapheto of Mapheto Attorneys to help her sue the officer after her two businesses were raided by police who also allegedly assaulted patrons, while arresting others.
Letsaba said the recent incident occurred on November 23 when the said officer and about 20 police officers allegedly raided Letsaba’s nightclub, Club La Piroque, in Sharpeville, and allegedly confiscated alcohol worth R900 000 and loaded it into a truck and private vehicles.
The same officer, according to Letsaba, was accompanied by Amapanyaza members, the police wardens employed by the Gauteng government.
She said they demanded to see her operating licence, which she produced, but the police, said to be stationed at the Sharpeville police station, said they would still confiscate the alcohol.
“He came here with no search warrant, and he told me, ‘ke tlo o tlatsa’ (I will show you who I am). The police arrested my business manager and patrons. He never recorded the incident,” she said sobbing.
Letsaba said it was not the first time the said cop raided her businesses, claiming that in November 2021, just five months after she had buried her husband, the same officer raided her bottle store and allegedly took alcohol worth R3-million and shut the business down.
“The police did a rush-rush raid but on the CCTV footage we see female police officers and Mapanyaza wardens dancing with expensive alcohol, celebrating,” Morota said.
“We assisted the family to open a criminal case after the police refused to help Ms Letsaba when she needed to open the case. As BFSA, we are against any form of victimisation and brutalisation of black people,” said Morota.
Mapheto said: “We are suing the minister of police because the police acted contrary to what the law requires. We are also suing for loss of income, for unlawful arrest and detention of patrons and staff members, who were later released without appearing in court.”
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said an internal disciplinary case had also been instituted against the member of police.
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