Voice Message Warning: Citizen Allegedly Stopped by Corrupt Cops

Listen to this voice message warning from a South African, and ask whether the SAPS (police) are our guardians or enemy?

Maybe you’re surviving in a challenging country like South Africa, where the police aren’t your guardian but sometimes your enemy?

RIPE FOR CORRUPTION

The Rand is 19 to 1 dollar, and 24 to the pound. Last month, the price for an hour at the local brothel almost doubled. It’s hard times from the salary worker to the street survivor.

Electricity’s increased 450% in 15 years because of corruption-based debt at Eskom, our government power generator. 18% of tax revenue services National debt. “Almost all government borrowing currently is being used to cover interest obligations from previous borrowing.” Caught between China and the USA, it’s not about ideology but which Superpower can offer us more.

Unofficial statistics are higher, but the official unemployment statistics are scary too – “63,9% of those aged 15-24, and 42,1% for those aged 25-34 years.” If you wonder why unemployment statistics start at age 15, it’s because so many drop out of school. Even if they’d aimed for a diploma or degree, 3 out of 10 wouldn’t have found a job.

Corruption aside, we need at least 6% growth to make a dent in our problems, yet things are so bad that 0.6% growth the past quarter is being hailed as hope.

Crime is paradox - corruption is the cause whilst violence is the by-product.

THE RECORDING

The recording is by a man claiming to have had an encounter with exploitive police on his way to work. It must be noted that, in 2016, the SAPS claimed that such recordings are a scam:

“The South African Police Service (SAPS) would like to issue a warning to the public to be aware of a fraudulent scam in which victims receive a text message stating that a SAPS case has been opened against them. Once they respond to the numbers that are provided by the fraudsters, money is extorted from them.

The scam came to the SAPS’s attention after a case had been reported in Rosebank, Gauteng in January 2016. It was followed by other cases with the same modus operandi that were reported in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, North West, and Limpopo.

The victims received a SMS stating that a SAPS case had been opened against them and that they had to contact a Constable Baloyi at 060 800 8148. Other random names and different contact numbers were also given.

When the victims responded to the SMS, they were informed that a warrant of arrest had been issued for a traffic fine and that they needed to pay a certain amount, which had to be deposited into an FNB account with number 62017066201 or ABSA account number 4054021171.

You are warned not to fall for this scam. In case you receive this kind of SMS, please contact your nearest police station. Alternatively, please contact Detective Lieutenant DK Hattingh of the National Investigation Unit (NINU) at 079 695 0293 or email: HattingDebbie@saps.gov.za”

Consequently, I’ve sent the mp3 and an inquiry to Detective Hattingh.

In contrast, the year before, a good news statement said:

“The Gauteng police welcomed a 10 year imprisonment sentence handed down to two corrupt police officers and 2 Gauteng traffic police by the Benoni Magistrate’s Court. ..

A Constable, who was based at [the] Crime Intelligent[ce] office, and one from Boksburg North police station, were arrested after colluding with two Gauteng Traffic Police and [for] extorted[ing] R16 000-00 from a complainant.  The police officials accused the victim of falsely being in possession of fake vehicle registration documents and threatened the complainant with arrest. The corrupt police officials then demanded R30 000-00 in exchange. Succumbing to the pressure the victim gave the police officials R16 000-00 and promised to pay the outstanding amount at a later stage.”

Mike Bolhius, one of South Africa’s famous detectives, warns of how to deal with similar situations. It happened to one of his clients.

THE WARNING

Although I cannot prove authenticity, the recording I’m sharing is different to the 2016 police assertion of fake news because it provides a backstory to the extortion.

As an activist, I’ve experienced worse i.e., I know that there are situations like this, that corruption is an enterprise shared by our expected protectors - from the SAPS and IPID, to lawyers and Judges.

This made me think about the systemic corruption in the USA’s Baltimore Police Department, particularly its Gun Trace Task Force. That was shown in the documentary, ‘I Got a Monster’, and David Simon’s excellent true miniseries, ‘We Own This City’. It was appropriate that the text update, at the end of the latter, was that the Mayor who reduced police funding was jailed for fraud.

Corporate funders, politicians and the ‘justice” system are organs in the same body killing us.

As bad as Baltimore is, Cape Town and Durban can only dream about being that ‘good’.

THE WARNING

I can’t share my full story for fear of imprisonment to silence me, but I want to give you a shudder at the thought that there might be a monster behind you. This recording is a lesson in what happens when society breaks down and greed overtakes.

True or not, it’s a parable, and represents how I perpetually feel about corrupt cops.

If you can share information, or your own experience, please comment below (one of those rare moments I open the comment section but do so with the note that I will delete off-the-topic self-advertisers and racist trolls, and those who ridiculously think Jews or Gays decide whether the sun sets or rises up our arses).

Image credit to Gerd Altmann.