A man in Delft has been hospitalised after a Police officer accused him of stealing and attempted to chop off his hands with an axe.
According to the Daily Voice, the victim, 34-year-old Kelvin, left his house at 11 am to work at the officer’s house. The officer, who is currently renovating his home, employed Kelvin to do some construction work around the house.
IOL reports that Kelvin’s mother, Naomi, said: “…between 1 pm and 2 pm, I heard him shout ‘Mammie’. I looked outside and saw him bleeding.” Naomi claims that one of his fingers “was hanging by a thread”. When they arrived at the Day Hospital, his clothes had to be torn off because he could not move his hands.
Reports say that Kelvin was being accused of stealing a grinder. The police officer, as well as four other suspects, had allegedly attacked him and held him hostage. He had to jump from the second storey of the house, to escape. Kelvin was also stabbed with scissors and has a cut in his face.
His 58-year-old father, Freddie, claims that this incident could leave Kelvin permanently disabled. According to MSN, Kelvin was transported to Tygerberg Hospital, where they operated on his hands and had to re-attach one of his fingers. It is uncertain whether his hands will work again.
Naomi claims that the family reported the incident to the police station commander, who told them that Kelvin had to come in to make a statement, despite the fact that he is in hospital. However, according to the Daily Voice, SAPS’s Siyabulela Malo said that Delft police have no record of the incident and that the family should come forward and lay a charge.
