FortHareTimesLive reports that the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) claims that a member, who is an employee at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), was tortured by a group of police.

According to the Fedusa affiliate, its member was kidnapped from his East London home in the presence of his family and allegedly tortured for hours as a possible murder suspect by people who identified themselves as police. The general secretary of NTEU, Grant Abbott, addressed the media on Wednesday along with representatives of Fedusa because they wanted to bring the matter to the public’s attention. He said the alleged torture happened on Sunday, 23 April against the backdrop of the investigations into assassinations at UFH. The union refused to divulge the identity of its member, insisting it would compromise the charges they have against the alleged torturers. Abbott said the member was kidnapped, assaulted and tortured, threatened and subsequently released with a threat of death should the incident be reported to the authorities. The union reported that it had conducted a comprehensive private investigation which led to the discovery of numerous other victims who had been kidnapped and tortured in a similar fashion by the same group of police members. “It is not known whether this group of police is operating outside the law, and is thus rogue in nature or whether it is some or other covert unit that has exceeded its authority. But in any event, it constitutes disturbing behaviour and the perpetrators need to be brought to book,” said Abbott


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