Shattered sisters sue the police

Lucille Schaper and her sister, Cecilia Bosman, stand in the room in which their mother was fatally burnt. Picture: Timothy Bernard

Lucille Schaper and her sister, Cecilia Bosman, stand in the room in which their mother was fatally burnt. Picture: Timothy Bernard

Published Nov 30, 2015

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Johannesburg - For many South African survivors of domestic abuse, the protection orders they claim against their abusers are worth less than the paper they are printed on. While the court system usually has no issue in granting these battered people protection against their abusers, it is often apathy from police that means they are not enforced.

But one Gauteng family who experienced this lack of care, and ultimately lost their matriarch because of it, are suing the police for more than R770 000 in damages.

Brenda Hedges and her two daughters, Cecilia and Lucille Schaper, spent years living in fear of Cecilia’s husband, Roland Bosman, because of his abusive ways.

The sisters managed to secure a protection order against Bosman, but the now convicted abuser would keep returning to their shared home in Sophiatown to physically and verbally threaten the family, including the couple’s five children.

On November 10, 2013, Bosman arrived at the home, went to Hedges’ bedroom, doused her in petrol and lit a match. Cecilia, her son Christopher and daughter Nicole, and their aunt Lucille were all in the house at the time.

Bosman was arrested shortly after.

Despite the arrest, the family has filed a civil lawsuit against the police because they claim investigators ignored both Lucille, Cecilia and their advocate, Cathy Welsh, a total of nine times when they reported Bosman’s threats at the Sophiatown police station.

According to the family’s combined affidavit, when the protection order was served on Bosman in August last year, he arrived at the family home, tore up the document and threatened to “burn the house down with everyone in it”.

When Lucille visited the local police station, she claims the officer on duty refused to open a criminal case or even read the protection order when it was displayed to her.

On September 18, 2013, the family claim that Bosman threatened Cecilia and Hedges with a firearm and broke their washing machine.

Later that evening, he tried to stab Lucille with a butcher’s knife in front of Nicole, before fleeing the scene. When Lucille telephoned the police station, two police officers arrived at the house but would not leave their vehicle or take a statement.

When she went to the station the next morning, police once again refused to take a statement or open a case despite physical evidence of the attack. Hours before setting Hedges alight, Bosman assaulted Lucille, and she claims she was once again ignored when she went to Sophiatown station.

Sushila Dhever, who is handling the civil case pro-bono on behalf of the Schapers, said her law firm, Fasken Martineau, was committed to helping vulnerable people with little means and cases with merit, even if it meant pursuing the state.

However, while the civil claim was initially laid in October last year, suing the state takes some time, with numerous legal interruptions preventing proceedings from going ahead so far.

Dhever told the Star this week that her team was still applying for a trial date, though it’s only expected to go ahead in June or July next year in the high court in Pretoria.

For those who wish to help those suffering from domestic abuse, the 16 Days of Activism or No Violence Against Women and Children page on the government’s website suggests volunteering with NGOs and community groups who support abused women and children.

“You can volunteer your time and make a contribution to the work of institutions. Help plant a garden at a shelter, sponsor plastic tables and chairs for kids at a clinic or join an organisation as a counsellor. Use your skills and knowledge to help the victims of abuse,” it reads.

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