KNYSNA NEWS - A Somalian spaza shop owner from Sedgefield, Abdi Hasli (35), feels aggrieved after officers from the Knysna Police Station arrested him at his business premises on Sunday 4 August in connection with his refugee documentation.
Hasli was released from the holding cells at the police station the following day in the presence of a few local foreign shop owners.
According to the refugee documentation he provided to the police, seen by the Knysna-Plett Herald, he appeared to be recognised in South Africa as a refugee from 2021-10-06 until 2025-10-06, and granted socio-economic rights as provided for in Chapter 2 of the Constitution, including to work and study in South Africa.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies confirmed in a statement that a total of 23 "undocumented" persons were arrested during high-density operations aimed at illegal activities in Knysna over the past weekend.
"Those arrested are of various nationalities, and there were enough discrepancies on their documents to warrant an arrest whilst others were unable to produce official documents.
"Knysna police management noted concerns raised by one of the arrestees. There's no grounds to open criminal charges against police and no such cases were opened.
"Anyone who's unhappy with his or her arrest may approach the necessary authorities. Similar operations will be maintained," the statement reads.
Maintaining his innocence
Hasli maintained that he is innocent, and claimed that two months ago, police officers "came to me and asked for my papers. I gave it to them, and everything was fine".
"Last night (on Sunday) different officers came to my shop, but this time they had a problem with my papers and arrested me immediately. They (allegedly) didn't even give me a chance to close my shop.
"I have never in my life been arrested, so this was something very stressful and humiliating to me. My customers will now think that I am a common criminal, which I am not.
"I didn't sleep at all while I was there (in the holding cells). Many times, you hear ugly stories about what happens in jail, so I didn't take the chance to be caught off guard by closing my eyes."
Hasli said he is relieved to have been released from the cells, but he hoped that his case would put a spotlight on what he called "illegal arrests".
"I'm a law-abiding (person) and if I break the law, I must be punished accordingly, but at least I must be guilty."
Despite his claim that he was allegedly ill-treated by the authorities, Hasli said he will not lay a complaint against the Knysna police in his personal capacity.
However, Liban Ali, executive director of the Southern Cape Business Concern Organisation, was adamant that they would respond to the arrest.
"Too many times it happened in the past that this sort of thing went unanswered," he claimed.
He said "this time around there must be consequences to stop" what he described as an "unnecessary witch-hunt on foreigners. We are busy consulting with our attorneys to find a way forward".
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