‘Police must pay for my girl’s death’
Mom wants justice over 2013 U’hage shooting
The mother of a little girl who was gunned down in Uitenhage during a violent protest in 2013 has called for the prosecution of the officer who fired the fatal shot – even though the South African Police Service agreed to pay R3.8-million in damages.
The 10-year-old’s mother, Maria Speelman, said: “Maricha’s soul won’t rest until justice has been done and neither will mine.”
She said the lack of accountability made her feel that her child was worth nothing more than a dog that was killed – and a hefty payout would never be enough.
“Nothing has happened. I have no trust in those people,” she said.
“I want a proper investigation and I want justice.
“The officer who shot her must be charged and found guilty and sentenced. We have an eyewitness who can point him out.”
In November 2013, the Langa, Rosedale and Gerald Smit townships were plunged into chaos when the municipality applied for a high court interdict to stop a land invasion.
Residents demanding houses blocked roads and set community halls, councillors’ offices and vehicles alight.
Maricha was shot when the situation was much calmer, but a strong police presence and sporadic protests were still a feature of the townships.
She was on her way home after having run an errand to buy R50 worth of electricity for her mother.
Speelman, 50, said she had originally been told her daughter had been hit by a stone.
The family claims it was a uniformed policeman who shot Maricha in the head during the Langa land invasion confrontation despite police denying this for several years and insisting no live ammunition had been used on that day.
Speelman said should the police be unwilling to do anything, the residents were ready to arrest the officer and his superior themselves.
“He still works for the police. What guarantee do we have that he doesn’t shoot someone else’s child next week or the week after?” she asked.
After years of denying they were responsible for Maricha’s death, police admitted last year that they were to blame.
The admission and settlement stopped a trial where counsel for the family, advocates Pieter Mouton and Nicola Barnard, were preparing to lead damning evidence from a ballistics expert.
Two eyewitnesses who said they had seen a uniformed policeman shooting Maricha from a distance of 35 to 40 metres had also been lined up to testify.
Nobody has been prosecuted for the little girl’s death.
The police originally claimed that Speelman had been hit by a stone, but doctors trying to save her life soon realised she had been shot.
The family’s attorney, Wilma Espag van der Bank, confirmed that a settlement had been reached.
Speelman said she was grateful for the way the family’s legal team had supported them through such a traumatic time.
The police agreed to pay Speelman R780,000 in damages, Maricha’s dad Bonakele R670,000 and her sister Shantell, who witnessed her sister being gunned down, R2.3-million.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Moses Dlamini said they were having trouble finding the original paperwork as the person who investigated the incident had left...
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