Photo: pixabay
Photo: pixabay
When Mpumalanga police swooped on the home of 50-year-old Fana Nkosi, the Piet Retief resident didn’t think he had anything to hide from them.
The stash of beer he had buried in his garden, he said, was hidden from his children.
That didn’t stop police from seizing the supply in April, and accusing Nkosi of trying to sell alcohol during the nationwide lockdown. Now, Nkosi wants his beer back, and is accusing the police of excessive force.
‘Return my beer’
Nkosi said that he had hidden the beer to ensure that his long-fingered children didn’t get their hands on it.
“The police asked me why is the liquor hidden in the garden, then I told them that I was hiding it from my children because they are also drinking alcohol. This was because at some point I noticed that some beers were missing. Then I thought that let me then hide it like we use to do in the olden days.”
He said police should return his alcohol because the case was not taken to court.
“I didn’t want to keep the alcohol in the house because it was going to be my fault if the children were to be found drunk. And my children didn’t know the alcohol was hidden in the garden.”
“They were surprised when the police took it out of the garden. Now, I am requesting them to return it because I can’t fall asleep without drinking alcohol. The court ordered that I should get my bail refund and get my beer back,” he said.
He additionally charged that one of the officers had assaulted his son while confiscating the beer.
Investigation underway
Mpumalanga Police spokesperson Leonard Hlathi said that the case is indeed being investigated, offering little hope of Nkosi getting his beer back.
“There is a case that we have opened against the old man. The case did not sit at court because now we were directed to go and take further statements. This is what we’re busy doing currently and regarding the case which has been opened against one of our own, that case is receiving the necessary attention,” he said.
He confirmed that an investigation is underway regarding the allegations of excessive force.
“We have informed the relevant authority of the IPID. We are still awaiting for them to come so that they can take the docket. However, we’re not folding arms, we continue with our investigation on this matter,” Hlathi said.
