Case Law[2024] ZAGPPHC 894South Africa
Mthethwa v Minister of Police and Others (11742/2018) [2024] ZAGPPHC 894 (7 September 2024)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)
7 September 2024
Judgment
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# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
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## Mthethwa v Minister of Police and Others (11742/2018) [2024] ZAGPPHC 894 (7 September 2024)
Mthethwa v Minister of Police and Others (11742/2018) [2024] ZAGPPHC 894 (7 September 2024)
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sino date 7 September 2024
SAFLII
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Certain
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IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA)
## Case Number: 11742/2018
Case Number: 11742/2018
(1)
REPORTABLE: YES / NO
(2)
OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: YES / NO
(3)
REVISED:
In
the matter between:
JACOB
MOKGATLA MTHETHWA
Plaintiff
and
THE
MINISTER OF POLICE
First
Defendant
GAUTENG
PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER OF SAPS
Second
Defendant
CITY
OF TSHWANE METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
Third
Defendant
JUDGMENT
The
judgment and order are published and distributed electronically.
VAN
NIEKERK N, AJ
:
INTRODUCTION:
[1]
This matter came before me on the 28
th
and 29
th
of August 2024 as a trial.
[2]
It is a claim for damages based on the unlawful arrest and detention
of the
Plaintiff by the Defendants.
[3]
At the commencement of the trial, it was recorded by all relevant
parties’
counsel, that the matter is proceeding on the merits
only and the quantum is postponed
sine die
.
[4]
It was also confirmed that the relief sought against the third
defendant was
withdrawn and that references in the pleadings to the
third Defendant should as such be ignored.
[5]
As a result, only the plaintiff and the first and second defendants
were before
court and represented.
[6]
It was common cause between the parties that the defendants had the
onus to
prove that the arrest without a warrant was a lawful arrest
and that the subsequent detention was lawful. As a result, the
defendants
had the duty to begin.
[7]
In the morning of 28 August 2024, the plaintiff was represented by
Adv Ngwana
TI, who recorded that he is appearing on behalf of the
plaintiff with Adv Mosoma DD, who was in another court at the time.
After the lunch adjournment Adv Mosoma was present in court and Adv
Ngwana continued with the cross examination of the witness
for a
period of time whereafter he gave it over to Adv Mosoma. On 29
August 2024, Adv Mosoma proceeded with the matter in
the absence of
Adv Ngwana. The First and Second Defendants were represented by
Adv Mokwena MM.
THE
PARTIES:
[8]
In the
particulars of claim the plaintiff is cited as a major male born in
1985 employed by the South African Police Service as
a Sergeant,
residing at 4[…] K[…] R[…] A, Siyabuswa,
0472.
[1]
[9]
The first
defendant is The Minister of Police cited in its official capacity
and the second defendant is The Gauteng Provincial
Commissioner of
South African Police Services cited in its official capacity.
[2]
THE
PLEADINGS:
AD
PARTICULARS OF CLAIM:
[10]
In respect of the merits the plaintiff pleaded that:
10.1
On the 14
th
of May 2019 at approximately 15h30, at E’skia Mphahlele and
Moot Streets, Pretoria, Gauteng Province the Plaintiff was arrested
without a warrant of arrest by members of South African Police
Service and members of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
whose further and better personal details are unknown to the
plaintiff.
[3]
(As mentioned
above, the claim against the third defendant, the City of Tshwane
Metropolitan Municipality was withdrawn and I will
not further in
this judgment refer to the third Defendant).
10.2
The members
of the South African Police Service were dressed in full official
uniforms.
[4]
10.3
Plaintiff
was arrested on the allegations of possession (sic) of conspiracy to
commit business robbery.
[5]
10.4
Subsequent
to the aforesaid arrest, the plaintiff was detained at
Wonderboomspoort Police Station for one day and never appeared
before
a court of law for his first appearance.
[6]
10.5
The matter
against the plaintiff was withdrawn by a relevant officer before
plaintiff could appear before the court of law.
[7]
10.6
Plaintiff
was so detained at Wonderboomspoort Police Station at the instance of
the aforementioned police officials, whose names
and ranks are
unknown to the plaintiff.
[8]
10.7
On the 15
th
of May 2019 at about 14:00, the plaintiff was later released after
the case against him was withdrawn by a relevant officer whose
full
and better particulars are not known to the plaintiff.
[9]
10.8
The
aforementioned police officers were acting within the course and
scope of their employment as police officers of the South African
Police Service.
[10]
10.9
The
plaintiff’s arrest was unlawful in that,
inter
alia
:
[11]
10.9.1. The
above-named police officers were not armed with a warrant of arrest.
10.9.2. At
the time of his arrest, police officers who arrested the plaintiff
refused and/or failed to inform the plaintiff
of his rights
adequately or at all.
10.9.3.
Police officers who effected the arrest merely advised the plaintiff
that the reason for arrest was conspiracy
to commit business robbery,
refusing and/or failing to provide any particulars of the alleged
offence.
10.9.4.
Police officers unreasonably neglected, failed and/or refused to
conduct diligent preliminary investigations
prior to arresting the
plaintiff.
10.9.5.
Police officers unreasonably ignored the plaintiff’s
exculpatory version.
10.9.6.
Police officers could have and/or should have entertained any
reasonable suspicion that the plaintiff committed
the offence for
which he was allegedly arrested (sic).
10.9.7.
Police officers failed and/or neglected to exercise adequately and/or
at all a discretion required of them to
exercise when arresting the
plaintiff charged with a schedule 1 offence.
10.10
The
plaintiff’s detention by or at the instance of the police
officers who arrested him was unlawful in that,
inter
alia:
[12]
10.10.1.
The detention was predicated upon the police’s unlawful or
wrongful arrest.
10.10.2.
No reasonable grounds existed to justify the detention of the
plaintiff.
10.10.3.
The police officers who detained the plaintiff failed and/or
neglected to exercise a discretion adequately
or at all as required
by law to exercise such discretion in detaining any person in the
position of the plaintiff.
10.10.4.
The plaintiff was detained in conditions which are unhealthy and not
fit for human consumption (sic).
AD
PLEA:
[11]
In terms of the plea the first and second defendants pleaded as
follows:
11.1
The first
and second defendants admitted having arrested the plaintiff, but
pleaded that the arrest was lawfully executed without
a warrant of
arrest in terms of section 40(1)(b) and section 50 of the Criminal
Procedure Act.
[13]
11.2
The arrest
that was affected on the very same day was based on section 40(1)(b)
of the CPA by:
[14]
11.2.1.
Arresting officer who was an authorised peace officer and had to
arrest under the prevailing circumstances at
that point on the
strength of the quality of information received pertaining to the
planned armed robbery that had to take place
on the 14
th
of May 2019.
11.2.2. After
the receipt of such information and the short investigation conducted
and the suspects traced until at
the Engen garage in Wonderboom, the
SAPS members had entertained the suspicion of conspiracy to commit
armed robbery by the plaintiff
and his friend who sat in the
Volkswagen Polo with registration FL0[…]. When the plaintiff
and his friend were searched
a gas gun, holster and three 9mm live
rounds were found in their possession and were charged with
conspiracy to commit armed robbery
which is a schedule 1 offence.
11.2.3. The
suspicion rested on reasonable ground in that the information
received led to a positive trace from where
the blue Volkswagen Polo
with registration FL0[…] was parked up to where the plaintiff
and his friend were lawfully arrested
and taken to the local police
station.
11.3
The members
of the SAPS were dressed in full official uniform.
[15]
11.4
The
plaintiff was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit armed
robbery, a schedule 1 offence.
[16]
11.5
The
plaintiff was detained at Wonderboomspoort Police Station for one day
and never appeared before a court of law for his first
appearance.
[17]
11.6
The matter
against the plaintiff was withdrawn before the plaintiff could appear
before a court of law and defendants pleaded that
it was the
prosecutor who withdrew the matter.
[18]
11.7
The
plaintiff was detained at the instance of the police officials.
[19]
11.8
The
plaintiff was released on 15 May 2019 at about 14h00 after the case
against him was withdrawn.
[20]
11.9
The first
and second defendants admit arresting the plaintiff and performing
their duties as members of a particular organisation.
[21]
11.10
The arrest
was lawful in that it was dealt with in terms of section 40(1)(b) of
the CPA:
[22]
11.10.1.
The first and second defendants performed their function of following
the lead of critical and qualitative
information of a crime of armed
robbery that was about to ensue and they had to act with speed and
precision.
11.10.2.
The circumstances of the case demanded that the matter be handled
without a warrant of arrest as required
under section 40(1)(b) of the
CPA.
11.10.3.
The SAPS members like in this case are from time to time entrusted to
arrest a suspect without having
obtained a warrant of arrest from the
judicial officer. It is inherent in the duties of the SAPS that they
are empowered in terms
of section 40(1)(b) of the CPA to arrest, in
certain circumstances, suspects without such a warrant of arrest.
11.11
Before the
plaintiff was arrested on the 14
th
of May 2019, the plaintiff was spoken and listened to as well as
informed of his rights by the members of the SAPS who were peace
officers.
[23]
11.12
The SAPS
members involved in this matter complied with section 39(2) of the
Criminal Procedure Act by ensuring that after effecting
the arrest or
immediately after effecting the arrest informed the arrested persons
about the cause of arrest.
[24]
11.13
The first
and second defendants gave an explicit explanation to the plaintiff
that he was under arrest in terms of section 39(2)
of the CPA and the
constitutional imperatives were explained to the plaintiff. The
constitutional rights for an arrested person
were explained to the
plaintiff and his friend and the plaintiff then signed as a
confirmation of having received an explanation
for his rights.
[25]
11.14
The motor
vehicle in which the plaintiff was travelling was searched and a gas
gun, 3x9 mm rounds and live ammunition and a holster
were found.
[26]
11.15
The lawful
arrest took place after having investigated and traced and monitored
the movements of the motor vehicle wherein the plaintiff
was
driving.
[27]
11.16
The
plaintiff was arrested for an offence which is recognised in criminal
law as an offence in South Africa.
[28]
11.17
Proper
investigation, trace and considerations were made by the SAPS members
who dealt with this matter involving the plaintiff
and his friends
who wore SAPS uniform during the arrest.
[29]
11.18
The arrest
was made with just cause based on the strength of the information
received and the reasonable suspicion formed out of
it that the said
planned armed robbery was to take place.
[30]
11.19
During the
lawful arrest and detention, the plaintiff did not give an
exculpatory version or explanation and as a result the plaintiff
cannot claim that he was ignored by the first and second
defendants.
[31]
11.20
The first
and second defendants acted based on informer’s information
about the possible armed robbery that was planned to
happen on the
14
th
of May 2019.
[32]
11.21
The first
and second defendants conducted a short investigation and made a
continuous trace of the plaintiff and his friend while
driving in a
blue Volkswagen Polo with registration no. FL0[…].
[33]
11.22
The arrest
of the plaintiff and his friend at the Engen garage by the first and
second defendants was based on the reasonable suspicion
that was
formed after the receipt of the information on the planned conspiracy
to commit an armed robbery which was preceded by
a short and proper
investigation and certain considerations.
[34]
11.23
The first
and second defendants deny that police officers failed or neglected
to exercise adequately and/or at all a discretion
required of them to
exercise when arresting the plaintiff charged for schedule 1 offence,
in that:
[35]
11.23.1.
The first
and second defendants applied their discretion after a short and
proper investigation and had formed reasonable, realistic
and
well-founded grounds to entertain the suspicion of a possible armed
robbery.
[36]
11.23.2.
The first and second defendants had to exercise their discretion as
to whether to arrest or not arrest
the plaintiff and his friend as
suspects for the conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
11.23.3.
The reasonable suspicion was strengthened by the discovery of the
items such as gas gun, holster and
the 3x9mm live ammunition in the
Volkswagen Polo the plaintiff and the friend were in.
11.23.4.
The first and second defendants realised that there were good and
sufficient grounds for suspecting that
the plaintiff was guilty of
conspiracy to commit robbery and thus an arrest without a warrant
ensued.
11.24 The
plaintiff was not unlawfully detained:
11.24.1.
The
plaintiff was given his rights after the arrest but prior to him
being detained in terms of section 39(2) of the Criminal Procedure
Act.
[37]
11.24.2.
The matter
was properly investigated after the receipt of the information from
an informer.
[38]
11.24.3.
The SAPS
members had conducted their short investigation, analysed and
assessed the quality of information at their disposal and
thereafter
they entertained the reasonable and well-founded suspicion which
justified the arrest.
[39]
11.24.4.
The
suspicion that was entertained was based on reasonable grounds, since
the suspects were followed from Wonderboom up to the Engen
garage,
Wonderboom as per the information received of a possible “armed
robbery” that had been planned.
[40]
11.24.5.
The
defendants utilised the exercise of the discretion as required by the
section 40(1)(b) of the CPA and other related statutes
and
policies.
[41]
11.24.6.
The
plaintiff was detained at the police station cell which is looked
after in terms of cleanliness by relevant designated functionaries
and being inspected by the SAPS officers on a daily basis.
[42]
COMMON
CAUSE:
[12]
The following are common cause on the pleadings:
12.1
This court
enjoys jurisdiction to adjudicate upon this matter due to the fact
that the entire cause of action arose within the area
of jurisdiction
of the court.
[43]
12.2
The
plaintiff was arrested by the first and second defendants on the 14
th
of May 2019.
[44]
12.3
The arrest
of the plaintiff was without a warrant of arrest by members of the
South African Police Services.
[45]
12.4
The members
of the South African Police Service were dressed in full official
uniform.
[46]
12.5
The
plaintiff was arrested on the suspicion of conspiracy to commit
robbery.
[47]
12.6
The
arrest of the plaintiff took place at the Engen garage.
[48]
12.7
The
plaintiff was detained at Wonderboomspoort Police Station for one day
and never appeared before a court of law for his first
appearance.
[49]
12.8
The matter
against the plaintiff was withdrawn by the relevant officer before
the plaintiff could appear before a court of law.
[50]
12.9
Plaintiff
was so detained at Wonderboomspoort Police Station at the instance of
the aforementioned police officers, whose names
and ranks are unknown
to the plaintiff.
[51]
12.10
The
aforementioned police officers were acting within the cause and scope
of their employment as police officers of the South African
Police
Services.
[52]
12.11
On the 15
th
of May 2019, at about 14:00, the plaintiff was released after the
case against him was withdrawn by the relevant officer whose
full and
better particulars are not known to the plaintiff.
[53]
WITNESSES
CALLED:
EVIDENCE
ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANTS:
WARRANT
OFFICER SAMUEL DLAMINI (“DLAMINI”):
[13]
He has been in the employ of the Directorate for Priority Crime
Investigation (DPCI) commonly knows
at the Hawks for 4 years as a
warrant officer. His evidence in chief was:
13.1
He was the arresting officer on the day that the plaintiff was
arrested.
13.2
On the day of the arrest, whilst on his way to meet an informant in
Wonderpark, he saw
a parked marked SAPS Golf in blue lights, on the
bridge between Pretoria North and Wonderpark.
12.3.
It caught his attention, because he could not understand why a
uniformed policeman will be alone with
a civilian on the bridge as it
seemed there was no reason for them to be there.
12.4.
After he saw the SAPS marked Golf, he received a telephone call and
was informed to meet the suspects
(of which he was informed by his
informant) at the Engen garage in Wonderboom. He arranged back-up,
went to the Engen Garage and
parked his Mercedes Vito. (His back-up
arrived at some stage,
inter alia
, in the form of his fellow
Hawks-member Wynand Herbst (who has since passed), waiting in an Audi
vehicle at the Engen station.
He got out of his Vito and went into
the Engen shop.
12.5.
Whilst in the shop the SAPS marked Golf (“the Golf”)
arrived and parked (reversed park)
in front of the shop. No one got
out of the Golf. He received a call from the suspects that they would
be arriving in a blue Volkswagen
Polo vehicle (“the Polo”).
He saw the Polo arriving and went to meet them. When exiting the
Engen shop the driver of
the Golf (later identified as the plaintiff)
nodded at him as if acknowledging him and as if he recognised him.
Dlamini did not
know the plaintiff.
12.6.
Dlamini got into the Polo with the suspects. He was pretending to be
an uber driver whilst he communicated
with the suspects and they told
him of their plan to execute a robbery of which he, as the uber
driver, would form an integral
part. He asked the suspects if they
should not rather go somewhere else to discuss the planned robbery,
because of the marked SAPS
vehicle being present.
12.7.
The suspects ensured him that the marked SAPS vehicle was part of
their plan and that they were working
together in respect of the
planned robbery. The Golf would have played an integral part in the
planned robbery and according to
the suspects the police car would
have stopped the uber vehicle with the intended victims whereafter
the robbery would have taken
place by the suspects.
12.8.
After talking to the suspects, Dlamini got out of the Polo, but
because his Mercedes Vito was not
a suitable uber vehicle (the
suspects would have immediately known that he was lying if they saw
his vehicle), he could not go
to the Vito and drive off, whilst the
suspects were there and as a result he went into the Engen shop
again, in the hope that the
Polo would leave the Engen station.
12.9.
Unfortunately, the suspects did not leave the Engen station, but
instead drove to the front of the
Engen shop and parked right next to
and very close to the Golf.
12.10. Both vehicles’
windows were open and the suspects and the Plaintiff then commenced
talking to each other through the
open windows, whilst remaining
seated in their respective vehicles. This Dlamini witnessed from
where he was standing inside the
Engen shop at the window. He could
not hear what they were saying.
12.11. Dlamini became
anxious and afraid for his safety, because he could not leave the
shop with the suspects outside and he was
afraid that the plaintiff
would be telling the suspects that he recognised him as a Hawk member
and not an uber driver.
12.12. As a result,
Dlamini remained in the shop and called his back-up to arrest the
suspects. Upon his request, his back-up and
members of the Metro
Police in uniform came in and apprehended the suspects in the Polo
and secured them. After they were secured,
he exited the shop. The
Polo was searched and a firearm and ammunition were found.
12.13. The plaintiff and
his friend were left sitting in the Golf. After the suspects were
apprehended and Dlamini’s commander,
a certain Colonel Mokwena
(hereinafter referred to as “Mokwena”) arrived, they
started focussing on the Golf and its
occupants to find out why they
were at the Engen station.
12.14. The plaintiff was
questioned about what duties he was performing for him to be at the
Engen station and according to Dlamini
the plaintiff could not
provide an explanation. When plaintiff was asked if his commander
knew that they were there, he could not
provide a proper answer.
12.15. After the scene
was processed, they moved to the station and called in the commander
of the plaintiff in order for him to
take statements from the member.
According to Dlamini the plaintiff’s commander could not give a
satisfactory explanation
why the plaintiff was at the Engen station.
Thereafter Dlamini placed the plaintiff and his friend under arrest.
[14]
During cross-examination the following version was provided:
13.1.
Dlamini never spoke to the passenger in the Golf, who was in civilian
clothes and was never told that
he was a police reservist.
13.2.
Dlamini insisted that they only arrested the plaintiff after they had
spoken to his commander. Later
in evidence he confirmed that the
commander they spoke to was Colonel Motsiri (hereinafter referred to
as “Motsiri“)
and that he did not confirm the plaintiff’s
version.
13.3.
He was directed to the affidavit by Motsiri which affidavit was
discovered by the defendants. In his
affidavit Motsiri stated:
“
On the 14
th
May 2019, I was on duty with other members of TRT performing generic
TRT duties. One of the members was Sergeant JM Mthethwa who
was
assigned to work at the main safe to book firearms out to members and
he was also going to be utilised outside on the streets
to perform
operational duties if and when needed. Sergeant JM Mthwethwa was in
full TRT SAPS uniform and was driving a marked SAPS
Golf with
registration no. BVK283B. Sergeant Mthwethwa was assigned to perform
safe duties, but not limited to it or not barred
from performing
other TRT duties. Sergeant JM Mthwethwa reports directly to me as the
unit commander. Though the member was performing
the safe handling
duties as mentioned above he was not restricted to Pretoria Central
Police Station. The member Sergeant JM Mthwethwa
could perform other
duties than the TRT member can or could perform. This include
gathering of information for the team so as for
the latter to be
certain of what to expect or of what they are going to do. Gathering
of information by members of the TRT, this
includes Sergeant
Mthwethwa, is not restricted to the police station or a specific
place for the informer to come to. Information
can be obtained
anywhere in the area where members are stationed. Sergeant Mthwethwa
was in his working precinct. That is all I
have to say”
.
[54]
13.4.
Dlamini was also referred to his own statement which was commissioned
on the 14
th
of May 2019 and wherein he stated under oath
the following:
“
Immediately
after passing the same state vehicle Golf 7 under R8 north it
followed me towards Pretoria CBD. On my arrival at the
meeting point
Engen garage when entering Pretoria CBD the name of the garage is
E’skia Mphahlela its on the south side towards
CBD. In a few
minutes the same state vehicle that was following me from Wonderpark
mall entered the garage and parked tactically
next to the store
entrance. Inside there was a member in full uniform and a civilian
both African males”
[55]
13.5.
Further in his statement he stated:
“
I then called
Sergeant Wynand Herbst and asked him to apprehend the said suspects
with the members of the police in the car since
I was informed that
they are working with them”
…
“
I informed the
police member of TRT that he was under arrest together with Sgt
Herbst and the TMPD members introduced themselves
and to the detained
two suspects in the blue Polo and one other civilian who later
informed us as he is an ex-police was driving
with the police in the
state vehicle”
.
[56]
13.6.
Further in his statement he stated:
“
The suspects
together with the member of the police were taken to Wonderboompoort
SAPS where they were processed and detained.”
[57]
13.7.
During cross-examination we were requested to watch a video, which
was discovered by the defendants,
less than a week prior to the trial
commencing, showing video footage of the day in question. This video
starts with the scene
where the marked SAPS Golf vehicle is parked in
front of the Engen shop at the Engen station in a reversed position.
13.8.
Whilst the video was playing Dlamini gave some commentary. He
inter
alia
indicated that:
13.8.1.
The plaintiff and his passenger spoke in length to Dlamini and other
members to try and explain why they
were there and what had happened.
13.8.2.
At some stage the plaintiff confronted Wynand Herbst (hereinafter
referred to as “
Herbst”
) because he was disputing
that he was part of the conspiracy and Dlamini had to keep them
apart.
13.8.3.
Whilst the suspects were handcuffed and on the floor of the garage,
they denied to Dlamini that they had
any relationship with the
plaintiff and the plaintiff denied that he has ever talked to them.
13.8.4.
The plaintiff informed him that they were following up on information
from their informant.
13.8.5.
At that stage the plaintiff was not cuffed and he was walking around
at the station whilst being questioned
by different members and also
the commander, Mokwena.
13.8.6.
Plaintiff’s service pistol was taken by the other members. His
cell phone was taken and there was
a white Audi standing parked in
front of the Golf.
13.9.
At the end of the video, it can be seen that the marked Golf vehicle
is driven by someone else. The
plaintiff and the civilian walks off
the screen and then cars are leaving the scene including the marked
Golf, the blue Polo, the
Mercedes Vito van driven by Dlamini, a white
unmarked Golf which according to Dlamini was his commander, Mokwena’s
Golf and
other vehicles. According to Dlamini driving to the station.
13.10. In
cross-examination after watching the video Dlamini admitted that:
13.10.1. His previous
statement that he never spoke to the civilian and was not told that
the civilian was a reservist was incorrect
as the video clearly
showed that he was talking to the reservist and he then admitted that
the civilian told him he was a reservist.
13.10.2. He did not check
the civilian’s version on that day before arresting the
plaintiff.
13.10.3. At the scene the
plaintiff’s phone was confiscated and nothing was found on it
connecting him to the suspects.
13.11. He reiterated that
he did not see the plaintiff being handcuffed by Mokwena and
that he did not witness it. He confirmed
that he later arrested the
plaintiff.
13.12. When the court
posed some questions, Dlamini stated that:
13.12.1. When he saw the
plaintiff again (after leaving the scene) it was at the police
station;
13.12.2. Plaintiff was
waiting at the back of the police station;
13.12.3. Plaintiff was
inside the police station in an office space and he was not cuffed.
13.12.4. When Dlamini
arrested him, he cuffed him at the Police station.
13.12.5. The decision to
arrest the plaintiff was made by the commander, Mokwena.
13.12.6. After arrest he
was detained at the station in a cell.
13.13. After the court’s
questions, Dlamini was again cross-examined by the plaintiff’s
advocate and he admitted that
Motsiri was at the station and that he
did not agree with Mokwena that the plaintiff should be arrested. He
confirmed that there
was no agreement between the two commanders
about the plaintiff’s arrest and detention.
13.14. That was the case
for the defendants. No further witnesses were called on behalf of the
defendants.
EVIDENCE
ON BEHALF OF THE PLAINTIFF:
JACOB
MAKGATLA MTHETHWA (MTHETHWA)
[15]
The plaintiff was the only witness for the plaintiff. His evidence in
chief was the following:
15.1
He is a member of the SAPS unit called Tactical Response Team (TRT)
and he is working at
Tshwane Central police station, since 2013. The
gathering of information is part of his duties and they also attend
to aggravate
robberies, medium to high risk, involving firearms, via
the reaction team.
15.2
He was arrested on the 14
th
of May 2019. Prior to his
arrest he was on duty and reported at 6am at Pretoria Central Police
Station.
15.3
On that day he was posted at the main safe where the working members
book firearms in and
out. He was the safe master.
15.4
Some members went to the shooting range and he went with them at the
Pretoria West SAPS
College. Whilst they were there, he received a
phone call from his informant. This was somewhere between 12pm and
1pm.
15.5
The informant said that possible suspects were coming from
Johannesburg with a machine
to makes fraudulent passports and with
possible drugs. The informant was at the BMW dealership at the
Fountains, Pretoria
and requested Mthethwa to collect him because he
did not have a vehicle.
15.6
The plaintiff went to collect the informant at the dealership. Before
he left the shooting
range, he told Motsiri, his commander, who was
at the shooting range with him, that he was going to meet his
informant and Motsiri
allowed him to go. He explained that he could
not simply leave the firearms that were booked out at the shooting
range unattended
and he had to tell his commander that he was leaving
the shooting range.
15.7
He also informed the commander of the reason why he was leaving and
requested him that
if the information was a positive lead to a
possible crime, the other members at the shooting range should be
mobilised as back-up.
He explained that before an operation commences
a member of TRT does Obs. and Rec. (observation and reconnaissance)
and that is
what he was going to do. He explained that it is not
necessary for two members to do obs. and rec. One can work on his own
and
meet with his informant alone. He also indicated the Golf is his
official vehicle and that he even goes home with it. There is no
requirement that there has to be two officers in a marked police
vehicle.
15.8
He collected the informant and because his informant was waiting on
information from another
informant (“the second informant”)
they decided to commence driving to the Wonderpark area, because that
was the indicated
direction the suspects would go.
15.9
At some stage the informant lost communication with the second
informant and they did not
know where exactly to go.
15.10 The
informant was trying to reconnect with the second informant and they
parked next to the road in the marked
SAPS vehicle on the bridge
close to Wonderpark. The blue lights of the car were on because it
was an official requirement that
when driving a marked police car it
has to be visible and the blue lights must be on. There was nothing
strange about it and it
was only for visibility.
15.11 He said
that it would have been impossible for Dlamini to see who the
occupants of the Golf were, because of its
darkly tinted windows,
specifically so tinted to ensure the safety of the police members in
the marked vehicle.
15.12 Because
they could not reconnect with the second informant, he decided to
abort the mission and turn back to the
shooting range. They were
facing the wrong direction on the high-way and in order to go back to
Pretoria they had to proceed on
the R80, take the first off-ramp to
turn back to Pretoria. When he took the off-ramp he came to a
traffic light at the Engen
station and at that stage the second
informant phoned back. The second informant was on his way and asked
where they were. He then
suggested that they meet him at the Engen
station. As a result, they pulled into the Engen station and waited.
15.13 When
they came into the Engen station area, Mthethwa drove to the Engen
shop and he saw Dlamini inside the shop.
He recognised Dlamini,
because he has worked with the Hawks and he previously acted as a
driver for the Hawk’s commander.
He also noticed Wynand Herbst
sitting in a white Audi in the parking lot and he knew that
something, involving the Hawks, was going
on.
15.14 Because
he was alerted to the fact that the Hawks were present, he reversed
his vehicle into the parking space
in a tactical position to keep
observing the area. He was looking at Dlamini in the shop in his
mirror. He never saw Dlamini going
into the shop and never saw
Dlamini inside of the blue Polo. When he got to the Engen station,
Dlamini was already inside the shop.
15.15 Dlamini
was not standing by the window but he was standing (hiding) behind
some of the shelves, looking out.
15.16 He saw
Dlamini giving the cashier his holster with his service pistol.
15.17
According to the plaintiff, if Dlamini was standing at the window as
he alleged, the occupants of the Polo would
have immediately noticed
that he was looking at them and that would have been extremely
suspicious.
15.18 The
Polo pulled in and parked next to the Golf but they were not talking
to the plaintiff. The plaintiff was busy
with the passenger in his
car and on his phone. The suspects were talking to each other.
15.19 The
police and the Hawks then apprehended the suspects, whilst the
plaintiff and passenger were still sitting
in the Golf.
15.20 Wynand
approached the plaintiff and ordered the plaintiff to get out of his
vehicle. The plaintiff was immediately
upset about this and he told
Wynand that he, the plaintiff, is the one in uniform, whilst Wynand
is wearing civilian clothes and
that he will not obey Wynand.
15.21 He also
explained that the situation was extremely tense as there were
heavily armed members of the Metro Police
standing around. This was
also visible on the video.
15.22 Wynand
then told the Metro Police to take the plaintiff’s firearm.
Plaintiff co-operated but he did not
want to touch his own fire-arm
or get out of the Golf for this purpose.
15.23 He
explained that the situation was tense and he did not want to
accidentally be shot by the heavily armed policemen
standing around.
The one at his driver door was pointing his riffle at a 45 degree to
the ground and because of the tense situation
he did not want to do
anything which might cause the tension to rise. He informed the Metro
Policemen that he can take the gun
from him and he crossed his arms
in front of him whilst the member took his service pistol from him.
15.24
Plaintiff stated that he argued with Wynand and Dlamini (this can be
seen on the video) because when they questioned
him he told them why
he was there, but they did not trust him. He said to them that he
spotted them before they spotted him. He
recognised them and if he
was part of some criminal plan, he would not have stayed at the Engen
garage whilst knowing that the
Hawks were around. (The fact that he
recognised Dlamini was also confirmed by Dlamini who indicated that
the plaintiff nodded towards
him as if he knew him).
15.25 The
plaintiff went to Dlamini and told him to ask the informant what they
were doing there. Dlamini spoke to the
informant but decided not to
believe them.
15.26 At some
stage, Mokwena arrived and plaintiff walked with him to explain
everything to him.
15.27 He even
went back to the police car to get a clipboard (this can be seen on
the video) because he wanted to write
down the information about the
people questioning him and make notes in respect thereof. Later, on
the video, it can be seen that
he returned the clipboard to the Golf.
15.28
Plaintiff stated that Wynand requested his cell phone from him and he
gave him his cell phone as well as the pattern
to open it. It can be
seen on the video that a cell phone is handed to Wynand.
15.29 The
plaintiff stated (this cannot be seen on the video) that he also
handed over to Wynand his second cell phone
which he was carrying
with him and which Wynand did not know about. On neither of
these phones any communication between
him and the suspects was
found.
15.30 He
explained that whilst on the scene he could not leave because Wynand,
Dlamini and Mokwena were in charge. They
knew him. They knew where he
worked and even if he left they would know where to find him. He had
to hand in his cell phone and
his service pistol was taken. He was
not free to leave.
15.31 He
asked to call Motsiri, but he did not answer and only later phoned
back. Motsiri was requested to meet them
at the police station.
15.32 At the
end of the video, it can be seen that vehicles left the scene. The
plaintiff explained that he was leaving
in Mokwena’s motor
vehicle.
15.33 He
stated that Mokwena told him “
you are a highly trained
member and you can harm me”
. According to the plaintiff
that is when Mokwena handcuffed him and put him in the back seat of
his vehicle. The Golf was not driven
by him but by another metro
policeman. This can be seen on the video.
15.34 When he
got into the vehicle with Mokwena they went straight to the police
station. He was handcuffed and he remained
handcuffed at
Wonderboomspoort Police Station. He was put at the back of the police
station, not in an office, but in an open space
where cars are parked
and he was watched by other members of the police. He remained
handcuffed.
15.35 When
confronted with Dlamini’s version that when he arrested him at
the police station, he was not handcuffed,
the plaintiff stated that
he never saw Dlamini again after leaving the scene and that he did
not see him at the station and that
Dlamini did not arrest him at the
station. He was already in cuffs and transported from the scene to
the station in cuffs.
15.36
According to him, Motsiri and Mokwena did not agree about him being
arrested. His commander informed him that
they (the Hawks) took it
personally because he argued with them at the scene and Mokwena told
him that he must apologise. When
he did not want to apologise because
he did not do anything wrong, Mokwena said that then they will arrest
and detain him. He did
not apologise and he was detained.
15.37 He even
gave evidence that, at the police station, he was never properly
booked because no one even searched him.
He had explosives with him,
(a stun grenade) that was strapped to his leg and he was detained in
the cell with the explosives.
15.38 His
rights were not read to him by Dlamini but by the shift commander.
15.39 He was
referred to the notice of rights which he signed and from that it is
clear that a certain Sergeant Du Toit
gave it to him and that this
was only signed by the plaintiff at 21:43.
15.40 He gave
evidence that he was placed in a cell and the next morning when the
other arrestees were taken to court
no one wanted to take him with,
as they all said he was arrested by the Hawks. It was as if they did
not want to touch him. He
had to argue with them to take him to court
so that he can have his appearance and a decision can be made. At
last, he was taken
to court and kept in the cell at court until
approximately 16:00 when he was released from the cell without ever
appearing in court.
Whilst at court he still had the explosives on
him.
15.41 At the
police cell it was a cold winter’s night. He had no blanket, no
water and no toilet.
[16]
The cross-examination did not cast any doubt on the plaintiff’s
version. The following is relevant:
16.1
The court noticed that whilst the plaintiff gave evidence in chief,
Ms Mokwena for the
defendants did not make any notes.
16.2
She made incorrect statements to the plaintiff during
cross-examination of what he allegedly
testified and on what the
facts before court was.
16.3
She argued with the plaintiff and failed to ask proper questions.
16.4
In closing argument, Adv Mokwena delivered a carefully worked out
argument which did not
take into account any of the concessions made
during cross-examination by the witness for the defendants or the
evidence of the
plaintiff and she simply presented her argument as if
the trial never took place.
EVALUATION
OF EVIDENCE
[17]
During the evidence of Dlamini the following concessions were made in
respect of the allegations contained
in the pleadings, that:
17.1
The plaintiff was never inside the Volkswagen Polo with registration
no. FL0[…].
17.2
The gas gun, holster and 3x9mm live rounds were not found in
possession of the plaintiff,
but in the Volkswagen Polo.
17.3
The police officers did not trace the vehicle that the plaintiff was
driving.
17.4
The plaintiff was not followed from Wonderpark up to the Engen
garage.
[18]
During the trial it became evident that Dlamini had different
versions. What he testified in evidence
in chief, differed from what
he testified under cross-examination, it differed from the contents
of the video, his own statement
commissioned on the 15
th
of May 2019 and from the version as pleaded in the first and second
defendants’ plea. The following is an exposé of
the
different versions:
18.1
Dlamini did
not speak to the civilian passenger who was with the plaintiff in the
Golf and did not know that he was a police reservist.
[58]
18.2
He did
speak to the civilian who was with the plaintiff and the civilian
told him that he was a reservist.
[59]
18.3
The
plaintiff was in / driving the Volkswagen Polo.
[60]
18.4
The
plaintiff was not driving or in the Polo but that he was driving a
SAPS marked Golf. This was the evidence of Dlamini.
[61]
18.5
The
plaintiff was arrested because he was implicated by the suspects, he
did not give a satisfactory explanation of why he was there
and his
commander did not confirm his story.
[62]
18.6
The
plaintiff was arrested because he was implicated by the suspects and
according to Dlamini they seemed to know each other.
[63]
No mention of the plaintiff’s commander is made in the
statement by Dlamini. No mention of the plaintiff’s commander
is made in the defendants’ plea.
18.7
The
plaintiff was arrested, because the suspicion was strengthened by the
discovery of a gas gun holster and 3x9mm live ammunition
in the
Volkswagen Polo where the plaintiff was in.
[64]
18.8
The gun and
live ammunition were found in the Polo and that was not the vehicle
driven by the plaintiff.
[65]
18.9
The
plaintiff’s vehicle was continuously traced.
[66]
18.10
The
plaintiff’s vehicle was not traced. It was spotted at one place
and then spotted at the Engen garage.
[67]
18.11
In
Dlamini’s statement it is said that the Plaintiff’s Golf
followed Dlamini to the Engen garage.
[68]
18.12 In
evidence Dlamini said that when he saw the marked SAPS car on the
Wonderpark bridge it was odd to him, but
he did not make much of it
because he was talking on the phone and arrangements were being made
to meet the suspects at the Engen
garage. He gave evidence that he
did not see the police Golf entering the Engen garage but he only saw
them after they were already
parked. This confirms that the vehicle
was not traced and that no facts exist to state that it followed
Dlamini.
18.13 The
defendants waited to arrest the plaintiff until after they had spoken
to his commander Motsiri.
18.14
In his
statement, Dlamini alleged that the plaintiff was informed that he
was arrested at the Engen garage right after the suspects
were in
custody.
[69]
18.15
From the
plea it is confirmed that the plaintiff was arrested at the Engen
garage.
[70]
18.16 From
Dlamini’s evidence as well as the plaintiff’s evidence it
is common cause that the defendants’
only spoke to Motsiri at
the police station, which was after they left the Engen garage.
18.17 Motsiri
and the Hawks commander did not agree that the plaintiff should be
arrested and detained. This was confirmed
by Dlamini and the
plaintiff.
18.18
The
plaintiff did not give any exculpatory version or explanation and
therefore he cannot claim that he was ignored by the first
and second
defendants.
[71]
18.19 It is
clear from the evidence by Dlamini that the plaintiff attempted to
explain and he continued to explain why
he was there and what he was
doing. He spoke to Dlamini, Wynand, Mokwena and he continued to
explain his version. Plaintiff involved
the civilian informant and
requested them all to speak to the informant.
18.20
Before he
was arrested, he was informed of his rights by the members of the
SAPS.
[72]
18.21 From
the video is can be seen that the plaintiff’s service pistol
and his cell phone were confiscated at
the scene and that he did not
drive away in his marked police vehicle but someone else drove it
from the scene.
18.22
The
plaintiff was deprived of his freedom already at the Engen garage at
approximately 15h30.
[73]
He
only signed the declaration of rights at 21h43 at the Wonderboom
Poort police station.
[74]
[19]
The plaintiff’s version on the other hand seems to be
reasonable and believable. The following
is relevant:
19.1
That he was
already arrested/deprived of his freedom at the Engen garage is
supported by Dlamini’s statement
[75]
as well as the defendants’ plea as referred to above.
19.2
The plaintiff’s version that he was arrested and detained
because he argued with
the Hawks members and did not want to
apologise was not disputed in cross-examination and stands
uncontested.
19.3
The plaintiff’s version of why he was at the Engen garage seems
to be reasonable.
[20]
It was not disputed that the members of the Hawks knew his name, his
rank and at which police station
he worked and at any stage after the
incident at the Engen station, after obtaining a warrant of arrest
they could have arrested
him. No reasonable explanation was provided
why it was necessary to arrest and detain the plaintiff that evening
and not first
do a diligent search and investigation in respect of
his alleged involvement in the proposed robbery.
[21]
It is clear from the evidence that defendants had the information of
plaintiff’s commanding officer.
[22]
It is a reasonable inference that if the plaintiff was involved with
the suspects in the proposed robbery
he would have aborted the
mission and informed the suspects immediately after recognising
Dlamini and Wynand as Hawks members at
the Engen garage.
[23]
It was not disputed that the plaintiff was told by Mokwena that if he
did not apologise for arguing
with the members of the Hawks at the
scene, they were going to arrest him and detain him. This points to
an ulterior motive. It
was not disputed that plaintiff became
argumentative with Wynand and Dlamini, because Wynand was pointing
his finger at him and
they wanted him to be afraid because they are
the Hawks.
[24]
It was not disputed that plaintiff was angry at the Engen station,
because the Hawks endangered his
life, he answered all of their
questions, he cooperated with them and they did not want to listen to
him. He experienced the manner
in which he was approached and accused
unfair.
APPLICABLE
LEGAL PRINCIPLES
[25]
Section 40(1)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 51 of
1977
(hereinafter referred to as “
the CPA”)
states that
a peace officer may arrest without warrant any person whom he
reasonable suspects of having committed an offence referred
to in
schedule 1, other than the offence of escaping from lawful custody.
[26]
It is a
well-established principle that the onus rests on the arresting
officer to prove the lawfulness of the arrest. The learned
Robbie CJ
stated in the case of
Minister
of Law and Order and others v Hurley and another
[76]
that:
“
An arrest
constitutes an interference with the liberty of the individual
concerned and it therefore seems to be fair and just to
require that
the person who arrested or cause the arrest of another person should
bear the onus of proving that his action was
justified in law”.
[77]
[27]
In respect
of section 40(1)(b) of the CPA the jurisdictional facts which must
exist for a section 40(1)(b) offence to succeed were
set out in the
matter of
Duncan
v Minister of Law and Order
.
[78]
They are:
27.1
The arrester must be a peace officer.
27.2
The arrester must entertain a suspicion.
27.3
The suspicion must be that the suspect be an arrestee who committed
an offence referred to in section 1.
27.4
The suspicion must rest on reasonable grounds. In order for the
suspicion to be a reasonable one it must be objectively sustainable.
[28]
In the
matter of
Mabona
v Minister of Law of Order and others
[79]
the following was said in relation to how a reasonable suspicion is
formed:
“
The reasonable man
will therefore analyse and assess the quality of the information at
his disposal critically, and he will not
accept it lightly or without
checking it where it can be checked. It is only after an examination
of this kind that he will allow
himself to entertain a suspicion
which will justify an arrest. This is not to say that the information
at his disposal must be
of sufficiently high quality and cogency to
engender in him a conviction that the suspect is in fact guilty. The
section requires
suspicion but not certainty. However, the suspicion
must be based upon solid grounds. Otherwise, it will be flighty or
arbitrary
and not a reasonable suspicion”
.
[80]
[29]
In the
matter of
Zealand
v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and another:
[81]
“
The constitution
enshrines the right to freedom and security of the person, including
the right not to be deprived of freedom, arbitrarily
or without just
cause, as well as the finding value of freedom. Accordingly, it was
sufficient in this case for the applicant simply
to plead that he was
unlawfully detained. This he did. The respondents then bore the
burden to justify the deprivation of liberty,
whatever form it may
have taken”.
[82]
[30]
It is trite
that the police officers purporting to act in terms of section
40(1)(b) of the CPA should investigate exculpatory explanations
offered by a suspect before they can form a reasonable suspicion for
the purpose of a lawful arrest.
[83]
[31]
Once the
requirements of section 40(1)(b) have been met the discretion whether
or not to arrest arises. The peace officer is not
obliged to effect
an arrest.
[84]
[32]
As far as
section 40(1)(b) is concerned, Judge van Heerden JA said the
following in
Duncan
(at 818H-J):
[85]
“
If the
jurisdictional requirements are satisfied, the peace officer may
invoke the power conferred by the sub-section, i.e., he
may arrest
the suspect. In other words, he then has a discretion as to whether
or not to exercise that power. (Cf Holgate-Mohammed
v Duke
(1984 (1)
All ER 1054
(HL) at 1057). No doubt the discretion must be properly
exercised. But the grounds on which the exercise of such a discretion
can
be questioned are narrowly circumscribed. Whether every improper
application of a discretion conferred by the sub-section will render
an arrest unlawful, need not be considered because it does not arise
in this case”
.
[33]
He
proceeded to say that an exercise of the discretion in question will
be clearly unlawful if the arrester knowingly invokes the
power to
arrest for a purpose not contemplated by the legislator. The decision
must be based on the intention to bring the arrested
person to
justice.
[86]
[34]
In the
Sekota
matter the appeal court referred in paragraph 30
to examples when an arrest is not based on the intention of bringing
the arrested
person to justice and included to punish the plaintiff
by means of arrest. In paragraph 31 the appeal court went on to say:
“
The
law in this regard has always been clear. Such an arrest is not bona
fide but in fraudem legis because the arrester has used
a power for
an ulterior purpose. But a distinction must be drawn between the
object of the arrest and the arrester’s motive”.
[35]
In
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of South Africa: in re
ex parte application of President of the RSA
(2000) ZACC 1
Chaskalson P held that the Bill of Rights required that the exercise
of discretion must also be objectively rational. He said the
following:
“
It is a
requirement of the rule of law that the exercise of public power by
the executive and other functionaries should not be
arbitrary.
Decisions must be rationally related to the purpose for which the
power was given, otherwise they are in effect arbitrary
and
inconsistent with this requirement. It follows that in order to pass
constitutional scrutiny the exercise of public power by
the executive
and other functionaries must, at least, comply with this requirement.
If it does not, it falls short of the standards
demanded by our
constitution for such action. The question whether a decision is
rationally related to the purpose for which the
power was given calls
for an objective inquiry. Otherwise a decision that, viewed
objectively, is in fact irrational, might pass
muster simply because
the person who took it mistakenly and in good faith believed it to be
rational. Such a conclusion will place
form above substance and
undermining important constitutional principles”
.
CONCLUSION
[36]
The plaintiff’s version about what transpired
the day of the
arrest was consistent and reasonable. The defendants’ different
versions on crucial aspects of the case makes
the truth of it
questionable.
[37]
From the evidence of the plaintiff which was not placed
in dispute or
contradicted, it seems that there was an ulterior motive for his
arrest and detention based on the fact that he refused
to apologise
to the Hawk members for arguing with them and that the reason for the
arrest was not to bring him to court.
[38]
It is common cause that the two commanders Motsiri and
Mokwena did
not agree on the arrest of the plaintiff.
[39]
It is clear that at all times when the arrest took place
and the
detention commenced, defendants had full knowledge of the name, the
rank, the police station and the name of the commanding
officer of
the plaintiff and if the necessary warrant of arrest was obtained
and/or a summons needed to be served it could have
been served upon
the plaintiff after an investigation into the suspects’
allegation.
[40]
The decision to arrest was based on the word of suspects
in a
conspiracy to commit robbery, which was later, on the same day
retracted.
[41]
The decision to arrest was made by choosing to accept
the word of the
suspects over the word of the police officer which was confirmed by
the reservist/civilian.
[42]
The decision to arrest was also opposed by the plaintiff’s
commanding officer.
[43]
In my view the fact that the charge against the plaintiff
was dropped
even before he appeared in court the next day and he was released
without appearing in court, confirms that the decision
to arrest him
based on the alleged suspicion that the plaintiff committed an
offence referred to in schedule 1, did not rest on
reasonable grounds
and was not objectively sustainable.
[44]
Based on the facts of this matter and the legal principles
applicable, I am of the view that the arrest and detention of the
plaintiff was unlawful.
COSTS
[45]
During closing argument, the plaintiff’s counsel
argued that if
I find in favour of the plaintiff, I should award costs for two
counsel. It needs to be mentioned that at the commencement
of the
trial, on 28 August 2024, Mr Ngwana TI appeared on behalf of the
plaintiff and indicated that Mr Mosana DD was appearing
with him, but
at that stage Mr Mosana was held up in another court. Mr Ngwana
proceeded with the matter in the absence of Mr Mosana.
[46]
After lunch, and at about 14:30 on the 28
th
of August, Mr
Mosana took over the cross-examination of Dlamini. The court
adjourned at 16:00. On the 29
th
of August, Mr Ngwana was
not present at court and Mr Mosana proceeded and finished with the
matter in his absence.
[47]
Considering the fact that the two counsel appearing
on behalf of the
plaintiff were only simultaneously in court for a period of less than
2 hours during the trial, I am not convinced
that this matter merits
costs of two counsel.
[48]
I do however agree that the complexity of the matter
merits the
granting of costs on scale C.
ORDER
[49]
In the result, I make the following order:
49.1
That plaintiff’s arrest and detention was unlawful.
49.2
That the first and second defendants must pay the costs on scale
C,
jointly and severely, the one paying the other to be absolved, in
respect of the merits of the plaintiff’s claim.
49.3
The quantum of the damages sought by plaintiff together with costs
in
respect thereof is postponed sine die.
Acting
Judge
Van Niekerk, N
In
The High Court of South Africa
Gauteng
Division, Pretoria
This
judgment was handed down electronically by circulating to the parties
and the parties’ representative by email and by
being uploaded
to CaseLines.
The
date and time of hand-down is deemed to be 10h00 on Friday, 7
September 2024.
Date
of hearing
28
and 29 August 2024
Date
of delivery
7
September 2024
Appearance
Instructing
Attorneys for the Plaintiff
Ramaesele Mphahlele
Attorneys
Counsel for the
Plaintiff
Adv DD Mosoma
Adv TI Ngwana
Instructing
Attorneys for the 1
st
and 2
nd
Defendants
State Attorney
Counsel for the 1
st
and 2
nd
Defendants
Adv Mokwena MM
[1]
See paragraph 1.1, p 003-8.
[2]
See paragraphs 1.2 and 1.3, p 003-8.
[3]
See paragraph 3.1, p 003-9.
[4]
See paragraph 3.2, p 003-10.
[5]
See paragraph 3.3, p 003-10.
[6]
See paragraph 4.1, p 003-10.
[7]
See paragraph 4.2, p 003-10.
[8]
See paragraph 4.3, p 003-10.
[9]
See paragraph 4.4, p 003-11.
[10]
See paragraph 4.5, p 003-11.
[11]
See paragraph 5.1, p 003-11 to 003-12.
[12]
See paragraph 7, p 003-13.
[13]
See paragraph 3.1, p 003-17.
[14]
See paragraph 3.1.1, p 003-17.
[15]
See paragraph 3.2, p 003-18.
[16]
See paragraph 3.3.1, p 003-18.
[17]
See paragraph 4.1, p 003-18.
[18]
See paragraph 4.2, p 003-18.
[19]
See paragraph 4.3, p 003-18.
[20]
See paragraph 4.4, p 003-19.
[21]
See paragraph 4.5, p 003-19.
[22]
See paragraph 5.1.1, p 003-119 to 003-20.
[23]
See paragraph 5.1.2.1, p 003-20.
[24]
See paragraph 5.1.2.2, p 003-20.
[25]
See paragraph 5.1.3.1, p 003-20.
[26]
See paragraph 5.1.3.2, p 003-20.
[27]
See paragraph 5.1.3.3, p 003-21.
[28]
See paragraph 5.1.3.4, p 003-21.
[29]
See paragraph 5.1.4.1, p 003-21.
[30]
See paragraph 5.1.4.2, p 003-21.
[31]
See paragraph 5.1.5.1, p 003-21.
[32]
See paragraph 5.1.6.1, p 003-21.
[33]
See paragraph 5.1.6.2, p 003-22.
[34]
See paragraph 5.1.6.3, p 003-22.
[35]
See paragraph 5.1.7, p 003-22.
[36]
See paragraph 5.1.7.1, p 003-22.
[37]
See paragraph 7.1.1, p 003-23.
[38]
See paragraph 7.2.1, p 003-23.
[39]
See paragraph 7.2.1.1, p 003-23.
[40]
See paragraph 7.2.1.2, p 003-23.
[41]
See paragraph 7.3.1, p 003-24.
[42]
See paragraph 7.4.1, p 003-24.
[43]
See para 2, p 003-9 and para 2, p 003-17.
[44]
See para 3.1, p 003-9 and para 3.1, p 003-17.
[45]
See para 3.1, p 003-9 and para 3.1, p 003-17.
[46]
See para 3.2, p 003-10 and para 3.2, p 003-18.
[47]
See para 3.3, p 003-10 and para 3.3, p 003-18.
[48]
See paragraph 5.1.6.3, p 003-22.
[49]
See para 4.1, p 003-10 and para 4.1, p 003-18.
[50]
See para 4.2, p 003-10 and para 4.2, p 003-18.
[51]
See para 4.3, p 003-10 and para 4.3, p 003-18.
[52]
See para 4.5, p 003-11 and para 4.5, p 003-19.
[53]
See para 4.4, p 003-11 and para 4.4, p 003-19.
[54]
See p 005-44 and 005-46.
[55]
See para 6, p 005-20.
[56]
See para 12, p 005-21.
[57]
See para 13, p 005-21.
[58]
His evidence prior to viewing the video footage.
[59]
This was clear in the video footage and after the video
footage he admitted that he spoke to him and that he confirmed
he
was a reservist. See also Dlamini’s statement in par 12 p
005-21.
[60]
See paragraph 5.1.7.3, p 003-22; see paragraph 5.1.6.2, p
003-22.
[61]
See also Dlamini’s statement, paragraphs 9 and 11, p
005-20 and p 005-21.
[62]
This was indicated in the evidence given by Dlamini in court.
[63]
See paragraph 11, p 005-21.
[64]
See paragraph 5.1.7.3, p 003-22.
[65]
From Dlamini’s evidence and his statement.
[66]
See paragraph 5.1.6.2, p 003-22.
[67]
This was clear from the evidence given by Dlamini.
[68]
See paragraph 6, p 005-20.
[69]
See paragraph 12, p 005-21.
[70]
See paragraph 5.1.6.3, p 003-21.
[71]
See para 5.1.5.1, p 003-21.
[72]
See paragraph 5.1.2.1, p 003-20.
[73]
See paragraph 3.1, p 003-9.
[74]
See page 006-43.
[75]
See p 005-21.
[76]
See
Minister
of Law and Order and others v Hurley and another
1986
(3) SA 568 (A).
[77]
See at 589E-F.
[78]
See
Duncan
v Minister of Law and Order
1986
(2) SA 805
(A) at 818E-H.
[79]
See
Mabona
and another v Minister of Law and Order and others
1988 (2) SA 654 (SE).
[80]
See p 658G-H.
[81]
See
Zealand
v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and another
(2008) ZACC 3; 2008 (2) SACR 1 (CC).
[82]
See para 24.
[83]
See
Louw
and another v Minister of Safety and Security and others
2006 (2) SACR 178
(T);
Liebenberg
v Minister of Safety and Security
(2009)
ZAGPPHC 88.
[84]
See
Groenewald
v Minister of Justice
1973 (3) SA 877
(A) at 883G – 884B;
The
Minister of Safety and Security v Sekota and another
2011 (1) SACR 315
(SCA) para 28.
[85]
See
Duncan
v Minister of Law and Order
1986 (2) SA 805 (A).
[86]
See
Sekota
supra, para 30.
sino noindex
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