Victory against police xenophobia and harassment of immigrants

20th March 2009

On Wednesday 18th March, Congolese immigrant to South Africa and Coalition Against Xenophobia (CAX) activist and founding member Pastor Mulumba appeared for the second time at the Hillbrow Magistrates Court on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. The more serious charge of attempting to steal a police firearm having been dropped at his previous appearance.

As was reported in our 20th February 2009 Press Statement titled ‘CAX launches Campaign Against Police Xenophobia and Harassment of Immigrants’ (see www.antix.org.za), the CAX believes that comrade Pastor Mulumba was being victimised for standing up to the police - who detained him illegally, repeatedly beat him while in custody and handcuffed him to a radiator for nearly nine hours - by laying counter-charges against them.