The Economic Freedom Fighters have launched a scathing attack on the state, demanding the immediate release of 11 jailed Anti-Gang Unit officers and accusing the government of “feeding them to the wolves”.
The 11 officers, anchored in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on charges including murder and torture, have found themselves on the wrong side of the bars they were meant to patrol.
The EFF, in a fiery statement, condemns what it calls the “continued incarceration” and the state’s “heavy-handed” decision to oppose bail, arguing the system has “abandoned the very” people it employed.
Vulnerable to attacks
The red berets’ argument hinges on a dangerous irony: the officers are allegedly sitting ducks in Pollsmoor Prison. They claim the cops have received explicit death threats from inmates. Some of these inmates were previously arrested by these very officers. One officer was reportedly told in chilling terms, “Ons wag vir jou by Pollsmoor” (We are waiting for you in Pollsmoor).
“By opposing bail”, the statement charges, “the state is effectively feeding them to the wolves. It is… placing law enforcement officials in the same cells as the gang members they were tasked to investigate.”
Adding a layer of intrigue to the bail brawl, the EFF points to a reported rift between the state prosecutor and police watchdog IPID (Independent Police Investigative Directorate). They note it is “highly irregular” that IPID… “reportedly recommended that the officers be released on bail of R1,000. This while the state says no to bail”
Products of broken system
This override, the party suggests, ignores human stakes. These include one officer whose upcoming wedding is jeopardised by his continued detention.
The statement frames the officers as products of a “broken system”. They are left vulnerable by an under-resourced and “poorly capacitated” AGU since its 2018 birth.
“It is an injustice,” the EFF argues, “to now penalise these 11 members with pretrial incarceration. And for incidents occurring in the line of duty, under such strained organisational conditions.”
While “acknowledg[ing] the seriousness of the allegations”, the fighters insist “the interest of justice is not served by the punitive detention of officers who are not considered flight risks.”
Sends wrong message about justice system
Their demands are clear: grant the R1, 000 bail IPID supposedly advised. Stop placing cops in “lethal environments” with their arrestees. And focus on a fair trial instead of “pretrial punishment”.
The EFF’s intervention ends with a stark warning to the state: “To abandon these officers now is to send an unfortunate message. It says that the state will not stand by those who risk their lives to secure our communities.”
It’s a political punch aimed at justice officials. Wrapping a serious due-process debate in the provocative paper of prison-yard peril.
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