An alleged incident of police brutality is what the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition (C4) believes resulted in the death of a man in Elsies River.  

The coalition alleges that members of the South African Police Service’s Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) were interrogating several people last Tuesday following a shooting in the area and accuses the officers of having assaulted the suspects during questioning. 

According to the coalition’s steering committee member, Imraahn Mukkadam, the 39-year-old victim, Cheslin Christians, was among those allegedly assaulted. Police confirmed that he died a day after the incident.  

“Detailed eyewitness accounts depict a scene of brutality and a flagrant disregard for the law and human dignity by the very unit mandated to ensure public safety. The reported facts are alarming,” said Mukkadam.  

Mukkadam further claims that two minors were also assaulted in the alleged incident. 

Police did not specifically mention the claimed incident in its response to SmileFM’s query, but Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain F.C. Van Wyk, confirmed that an inquest docket was opened. 

“We are awaiting the autopsy report to determine the cause of death as it is still uncertain if the cause of death is related to the alleged incident. The victim died one day after the alleged incident,” said Van Wyk. 

Meanwhile, Mukkadam and the coalition have called for urgent intervention, demanding that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) make this case a priority and that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) launch a parallel inquiry.  

“To the SAPS Leadership: We demand effective policing, not brutal policing. We call on you to publicly condemn these actions, cooperate fully with IPID and the SAHRC, and institute immediate internal reviews of the training, command, and control protocols within the Anti-Gang Unit,” reads the coalition’s statement, as an additional part of its urgent appeals.  

The coalition insists that this incident is not isolated and rather reflects “a terrifying pattern of brutality by specialist police units who appear to operate with a sense of impunity”. 

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any policing that violates the constitutional rights of citizens. The rights to life, dignity, and freedom from torture are foundational to our democracy. When police become the perpetrators of the violence they are meant to prevent, they destroy public trust and make every citizen less safe.” 

Mukkadam said the coalition would continue to monitor the case closely, and that it stands with the Christians’ family, the other victims and the community of Elsies River in demanding justice.