Ten of the 11 Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) officers charged with the murder of an alleged gang member, Wade Price, will spend Christmas in custody after the Athlone Magistrate’s Court denied them bail on Tuesday.
Only one officer was granted bail of R1 000 due to health reasons.
Nine male officers have been transferred to Brandvlei Correctional Facility, while the female officer will be held at Worcester Prison. All are expected to return to court in late January.
During a previous appearance last Thursday, the accused officers told the court they had been threatened by fellow inmates after being recognised while in custody. A court order prohibits the identification of the officers.
The officers face multiple charges, including kidnapping, torture, assault, defeating the ends of justice and the murder of Price, who died on 4 December.
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), Price and three other men were taken into custody following a shooting incident outside the Athlone Magistrate’s Court the previous day.
He and three associates were taken to Manenberg SAPS, where CCTV footage shows them entering the police station with the accused officers.
While the three other men were later released, Price was allegedly taken to a property in Vygekraal Road. According to the charge sheet, he was unlawfully and intentionally killed after being assaulted multiple times to the head and body with unknown objects, tortured and ultimately smothered or choked to death.
“Although the officers alleged that Price complained of ear pain and collapsed during interrogation, IPID’s investigation established that his death was due to unnatural causes.”
Meanwhile, the South African Policing Union (SAPU) says it is disappointed that the officers were not granted bail, not because they condone the alleged actions by the members, but because it is clear the officers are not a flight risk.
SAPU says it will explore legal means available to challenge the decision made by the Athlone Magistrate Court in this regard, which may include approaching a higher Court on an urgent basis to secure bail.
