16 August 2010, 08:44
By Graeme Hosken
Crime Reporter
Despite being found guilty by a disciplinary committee and fired on allegations of raping a Gauteng mother and trying to cover up the attack, two Joburg policemen have yet to be arrested.
And there is no indication when the Kempton Park student constable and warrant officer - found guilty on Friday at an internal disciplinary hearing of attacking Martie Olivier at their police station - will be arrested.
News of the finding was welcomed by the Olivier family who, through their lawyer, Delia de Vries, said it was what they had expected.
Olivier was allegedly raped by the policemen in September afterthey had stopped her and her husband for a traffic violation.
The student constable, who was found guilty of rape and defeating the ends of justice, and the warrant officer, who was found guilty of defeating the ends of justice, were fired from the police force on Friday.
The rape was allegedly committed over several hours by one of the policemen while Olivier's husband was being questioned at the police station.
De Vries said that the two policemen would be appealing the decision to fire them.
If the State declined to prosecute the pair, she would initiate a private prosecution, she said.
The two policemen have 10 days to appeal.
"We are determined to ensure justice is done," De Vries said.
"Following allegations that evidence was tampered with, we have now demanded the release of the forensic evidence gathered at the scene.
"We will send it to a private pathologist to help us in the investigation.
"We have urged the prosecutor to inform us whether he is proceeding with the criminal matter because, if he does not, we will be launching a private prosecution.
"This (would) run alongside the civil case we are bringing against Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa."
Asked if and when the policemen would be arrested, Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Opperman said: "The criminal case is being investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD). I cannot speak for them.
"The internal matter has been completed."
Opperman referred further questions to the ICD.
Spokesman Moses Dlamini said the ICD was awaiting a decision by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions on whether to proceed with a criminal case and arrest the two policemen.
"Until we receive word of the decision we will not be doing anything," he said.
Asked when a decision was expected, Dlamini said: "At this stage a date for the decision is not known.
"We are hoping it will happen soon.
"I am not able to say how soon, and whether it will be this week or not."
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Pretoria News on August 16, 2010
The Star
Comments by Sonny
Why must justice take so long?
