Cape Town parents’ ‘bad nightmare’ after arrest for fetching toddler who wandered onto beach
Bulgen described the ordeal as a “bad nightmare”, and said they feared the consequences of a court process on Tereza’s visa status, which would be rejected if she was convicted. She would then have to leave the country with her daughter.
Speaking to a Western Cape Provincial Legislature Ad-Hoc Committee on the Covid-19 crisis, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Yolisa Matakata said the officer should have applied common sense.
This after DA MPL Reagan Allen raised the issue of alleged heavy-handedness in the arrest.
“In terms of the heavy-handedness… it is an unfortunate incident of members being overzealous in their actions.”
Tereza Cervinkova, and daughter, Florence, aged 21-months-old. (Picture supplied to News24 by Liam Bulgen)
She cautioned SAPS officials: “If you cannot see whatever happened at that point, you should apply logic and common sense.”
The provincial commissioner said the matter was being dealt with “internally”, with both the SAPS officials involved and the Muizenberg station management.
She said it would also investigate why the SAPS officials had not worn protective gear during the arrests and transportation of the family.
