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Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) officials have been deployed to the Soshanguve police station in Gauteng to investigate the death of a 30-year-old hawker.
IPID spokesperson Moses Dlamini said their investigation follows a report on Friday of the death, allegedly as result of police action, near the Soshanguve police station outside Pretoria.
"There was a group of young men selling copied CDs/DVDs. The police officers surrounded the group of young men who ran in different directions. One of the young men fell to the ground and died. IPID investigators will visit the scene to seek more witnesses. The post-mortem will be conducted on November 5 [Monday] and will be attended by IPID investigators."
#sapsGP Members of the community threw petrol bombs at #SAPS Soshanguve station after an altercation with #SAPS members which angered them. A case of public violence and an inquest docker are opened for further investigation. SWhttps://t.co/GgLNi4NA4b pic.twitter.com/mKNF6OnEEJ
— SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) November 2, 2018
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said on Friday afternoon that police officers were conducting crime prevention duties in Soshanguve.
"During their patrol they spotted a group of boys who were allegedly selling counterfeit CDs. The members tried to arrest them but ran away and police chased them on foot. It is alleged that one of the suspects fell to the ground and collapsed. He was later certified dead by the paramedics. The situation angered the community who cited brutality by the police," said Peters.
Peters said the community pelted the building with petrol bombs, burnt tyres, broke some windows and removed the gate and some part of the palisade fencing. Parts of the building were damaged.
A case of public violence and an inquest are being investigated.
Dlamini said their investigations would begin on Saturday as their investigator had not been able to access the crime scene because the roads were blocked and there were burning tyres.
"The scene was later accessed with the assistance of POPS and the K9 Unit, by which time the body of the deceased had been moved by Ga-Rankuwa government mortuary," he said.
READ:IPID nabs alleged 'shooter' and 'commanding officer' for TUT student's murder
Last month, two officers from the area were arrested for the murder of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) student Katlego Monareng during Student Representative Council (SRC) elections in August.
Monareng was shot dead when the elections turned into violent protests and he died on the way to hospital.
The two officers, who hold the ranks of Captain and Constable, are based at the Soshanguve police station. According to information which News24 reliably received earlier, it is alleged that the constable was the one who shot Monareng while the captain was the commanding officer who allegedly gave the order to open fire.
