Johannesburg - The community of Eldorado Park, south of Joburg, has accused the police of ordering a hit on a man who was due to testify against another community member involved in a murder case that was supposed to begin in court this week.
The witness, Oswald Pretorius, 37, was killed as he was going to testify on behalf of his dead cousin, residents claimed.
Residents who were at the scene believed he was an innocent man who had screamed “I am surrendering myself to you!” moments before he was shot while lying on his back.
Several witnesses at the scene said the police simply turned him up and shot him a couple of times while he screamed for his life.
Others alleged that police planted a gun in his hands after they had already shot him and prevented his father from coming closer to the scene where his son spent his last moments crying out for help. It is also reported that it took more than an hour for police to call for emergency assistance.
“He was taken out as he was about to be a witness in a murder case. We heard him scream, telling police he was surrendering. He was not carrying a gun at the time. The gun he is said to have been carrying was dumped as he was being chased by police,” one witness told The Star.
Another witness, who also did not want to be named, said she was at home when, all of a sudden, three young people, including the victim, came rushing into the yard.
“I am not sure if he was carrying a gun or what happened from where he was reportedly chased away, but I did hear him say he was surrendering. In spite of this, he was shot dead. We and our children are traumatised … everyone around here is now living in fear,” the neighbour said.
Pretorius is not the first victim of police brutality in the area. Four years ago, teenager Nathaniel Julies was shot just a stone’s throw away from his home in the area. Three police officers were arrested in connection with his murder, which grabbed newspaper headlines for months.
It is alleged that Pretorius was cornered by the police and, despite surrendering, he was still shot dead at close range. Since his killing, the community has camped outside the police station, with scores of police manning the area in fear of community unrest. Despite the peaceful protest, the community was on tenterhooks after a community leader and Patriotic Alliance councillor, Juwairiya Kaldine, was accused of inciting public violence.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson, Robert Ramokgola, said the special task force deployed in the area had gone out to investigate a complaint of intimidation and pointing of a firearm.
“When police arrived at the address, the alleged suspect had already left. The complainant took police to an address where the victim was. When he saw the police, he allegedly took out a firearm and discharged it in the direction of the police, who retaliated and fatally shot him.”
Ramokgola said Ipid is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. “Ipid investigators visited the scene of the alleged shooting. Apparently they, together with the police, had to leave the scene prematurely because they were being shot at.”
Family spokesperson Chris Pretorius said his cousin was shot dead even though he had surrendered. “My nephew was 37. He has three kids. He has a job. On Sunday, he was chilling with friends. Ultimately, they decided that he, too, was a threat. Was this because he was standing up for the community and that there is so much corruption in our police force that criminals can pay police officers to kill innocent people?” Pretorius asked.
The Star