Man held 2 days 'for nothing'

Johannesburg - A man claims he was "treated like a criminal for nothing" after he was allegedly kept in police custody for two nights without being charged.
The police arrested André van der Merwe, 50, from Crown Gardens last Saturday at the Oshoek border post after he and his wife Debbie, 47, wanted to go to Swaziland for a weekend getaway.
"When we wanted to have our passports stamped, I was told there was a warrant out for my arrest due to a drunken driving case and I was thrown into the cells."
Case thrown out in 2001
Van der Merwe apparently tried to explain that this matter had been concluded in 2001.
"The case was thrown out in 2001 in the Booysens Magistrate's Court because they couldn't find the docket."

Van der Merwe had to spend the night in the cells while his wife had to sleep in their car at the border post because she didn't know the way home.
"The Booysens police station was meant to fax the warrant to the border police but this never happened. I was only told that Booysens police would come and fetch me."
Two officials from the Booysens police station came to fetch him the next day at about 11:00.
"I begged them to allow my wife to drive behind us but they kept speeding and at one stage she had to call officials for directions."


Civil case
Booysens police spokesperson Warrant Officer Gordon Billings said these kinds of incidents "happened from time to time".
 "It sometimes happens that warrants and cases that have been concluded are not removed from the system, for whatever reason.
"Van der Merwe could make a civil case against police due to wrongful arrest if he wanted."
 Van der Merwe said he couldn't afford to do this.


News24