JOHANNESBURG- Public trust in law enforcement has plummeted, and South Africans are questioning what happens when those meant to protect them overstep their powers.
Joburg mother Liza Booysen says uniformed officers humiliated and verbally abused her in front of her partner and children.
According to her, the ordeal began when a female officer accused her of driving above the speed limit, which the officer claimed was an 'arrestable offence'.
“She asked me to get into the vehicle. I told her I didn’t feel comfortable, but I was willing to cooperate and hear my rights"
“My attitude towards her may have irritated her. She asked why I had to be so difficult. I wasn’t being difficult, I just didn’t understand the procedure," Booysen said.
Booysen says the confrontation intensified, with the officer refusing to back down even as she begged to call her partner to fetch the children in case she was arrested.
What happened next left her shaken.
“I uttered the words ‘my God,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘You white people and your God out here I will show you who is God.’ Then she put handcuffs on me. I asked her to at least wait for my children to leave, and she said, ‘I will make a good example of you today."
Booysen says she felt “violated, intimidated and humiliated” as her children watched her being handcuffed.
She was held in a cell for five hours and by Monday morning, the case was thrown out.
Booysen claims the police watchdog offered no assistance when she reported the matter.
Weighing in on the matter, legal expert Melusi Xulu says Booysen’s account highlights persistent concerns about police conduct.
“From what I hear, there’s a lack of professionalism, sympathy and empathy, especially given that she was with her children,” Xulu said.
He says victims of police brutality or misconduct are supposed to report such cases to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
But in reality, he argues, IPID has deviated from its mandate of serving the public’s interests
“Unfortunately, sometimes in my view and statistics reflect that IPD problems are that they end up trying to protect both the police and the citizens, and that’s not what they were created for," he argues.