Cops who tortured man are still on duty

Juma Igiranieza was assaulted by police in Mowbray. They were demanding he tell them the whereabouts of his boss. Photos: Mary-Anne Gontsana

• Three police officers, accused of assault and torture in the Wynberg Regional Court, received a slap on the wrist in a SAPS disciplinary process.
• One officer was found guilty of assaulting Juma Igiranieza and received a final written warning. Another officer was found guilty of failing to prevent the result and received a written warning. The third was found not guilty.
• CCTV footage shows multiple officers repeatedly assaulting Igarieneza. They used their fists. They used a baseball bat. They smothered him with a plastic bag. Others cops stood by and watched.
• All three officers, Delmore Manuel, Jermaine Conradie, and Leigh-Ann Maroon, remain on active duty.

Three police officers accused of torture in the Wynberg Regional Court are still employed by the South African Police Services and “performing public-facing and operational duties,” according to acting police minister Firoz Cachalia.

Lieutenant Colonel Delmore Manuel, Constable Jermaine Conradie, and Constable Leigh-Ann Maroon are accused of torturing barber Juma Igiranieza during a raid at his workplace in Mowbray on 7 November 2023. Their criminal trial has been postponed multiple times, and the next hearing is set down for April.

Since GroundUp started reporting on the matter, police spokespeople have declined to confirm whether the officers have faced disciplinary action.

Cachalia, in response to questions from parliamentarian Nicholas Gotsell, has now confirmed that the officers were disciplined in June 2024 but remain on active duty. Conradie and Maroon received written warnings, while Manuel was found not-guilty.

Colonel Delmore Manuel. Archive photo: David Harrison

Constable Leigh-Ann Maroon. Archive photo: David Harrison

CCTV footage published by GroundUp (see below) shows several police officers, one in plain clothes. At least two participate in the assault while the others stand by. The plainclothes policeman watches, and at one point apparently endorses the assault. They unleash a barrage of punches on Igiranieza, strike him repeatedly with a baseball bat, and smother him with plastic.

Not all the police officers involved were charged in court or in SAPS’ disciplinary process. In the disciplinary process, only Conradie was charged with assault, while Manuel and Maroon were charged with failing to prevent, stop or report the incident.

This is an abbreviated version of the video showing police officers assaulting Juma Igiranieza. Download the full 11 minute video. Warning: both videos depict violence, and most people will find the footage distressing.

Conradie was found guilty on two charges: acting unlawfully by assaulting Igiranieza “with a closed fist and kicking him with feet indiscriminately” and “conducting himself in an improper manner”. He received a final written warning.

Maroon was found guilty of one charge of “neglecting her duties or perform her functions in an improper manner” by failing to prevent Conradie from assaulting Igiranieza. She received a written warning.

Manuel was found not guilty on three charges, including failure to prevent, stop and report the assault. “The employee was found not guilty due to the complainant failing to attend the proceedings on two separate occasions on 24 July 2024,” said Cachalia.

The officers received “no suspensions, temporary withdrawals from operational duties, or withdrawals of any firearms were initiated, based on the merits of the misconduct,” said Cachalia. “All implicated members are still employed in SAPS,” he said.

None of the charges refer to at least one of the officers using a bat to repeatedly strike Igiranieza, or the plastic bag to smother him.

Manuel is the acting station commander at the Steenberg Police Station, and Constables Maroon and Conradie are part of the Public Order Police Unit in Paarl.

Igiranieza could not be reached for comment.

Gotsell told GroundUp that this was “yet another instance, proving why the SAPS needs an urgent Disciplinary Code overall. It leads to inconsistent sanctions and puts crooked cops back in our communities.”

“Whilst they should have been dismissed, they received a final written warning, have not been removed from public-facing duties, and they have not been disarmed … What exactly must a police officer do to be considered a risk to the public if beating a defenceless civilian does not meet that threshold?”

Gotsell said SAPS was sending a message that police brutality is tolerated, loss of temper in the wrong internal setting is punished, and violent officers can expect protection rather than consequences.

He pointed out that the Public Order Police Unit, of which Maroon and Conradie are now members, is “a specialised unit entrusted with crowd control, public safety, and the lawful use of force under volatile conditions. These are officers who, by definition, must display the highest levels of restraint, discipline, and respect for human rights.”

GroundUp reported in September that thousands of police brutality cases are reported every year, but very few result in criminal convictions or disciplinary action.

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