THREE months ago, Geeta Singh’s only child Ishal (35) died after from a heart attack and she was left to care for his two son’s.
This week, Singh recounted her traumatic experience of being arrested during an anti-illegal immigration operation and how she tried to protect her grandsons from the mayhem.
The retired teacher from Woodlands Secondary, was arrested in front of a large crowd during a March and Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) operation on July 10.
She was handcuffed and put in the back of a police vehicle, despite her poor health.
The operation followed allegations from members of the public that Singh was allegedly harbouring undocumented foreign nationals at her property on Vanker Road, in Raisethorpe.
However, Singh strongly denied the allegations and said none of the undocumented foreign nationals found during the operation were her tenants.
Speaking to the POST, Singh said: “I have five rental units attached to my Vanker Road home. I live in the front unit. I bought the property in 2008, and there were tenants living there already,” she said.
“Over the years, I tried to get rid of the Malawian tenant because of damages to the property.”
She said the tenant had recently informed her that he was returning to Malawi to sort out his documentation and had asked if he could leave his belongings locked inside the room he had occupied.
“He told me to lock his belongings while he was away,” she said.
According to Singh, the situation escalated dramatically on the afternoon of July 10.
“I was at home with my two grandchildren and my cousin when I heard loud banging at the gate. I looked outside and saw a huge crowd shouting for me to come outside. I was confused because they kept saying I was harbouring Malawians on my property.
“I was not worried because I have six tenants and they are all South African.”
She alleged that the crowd then entered her property.
“Suddenly more than 150 people were in my yard searching all my units and vandalising everything. They dragged me from my own home to the rental rooms while searching for illegal foreigners. They broke ceilings, doors and gates because they believed I was hiding people.”
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During the search, three Malawian nationals were allegedly discovered inside the locked room where the former tenant had left his belongings.
“They found three Malawians inside that locked room. I had no idea they were there. I do not know whether the previous tenant had given them a key. When the door was opened, they ran. Two jumped over the wall while one was caught and arrested.”
Singh said that from that moment onwards, no one listened to her.
Fearing for her safety, she said she locked herself inside her house with her two young grandsons.
“I was terrified. My grandchildren were with me and I saw police officers standing across the road watching everything but doing nothing.”
She said police officers eventually came to her door.
“They told me I was under arrest. By then the crowd was screaming for me to go outside.”
Singh said the emotional impact on her grandchildren was devastating.
“My two grandsons were screaming and crying because they were terrified. Thankfully my cousin was there to comfort them, but nobody could calm them down.”
She further alleged that members of the crowd pressured police officers to handcuff her.
“When I came outside, the police told me to get into the van. The crowd kept shouting that I must be handcuffed and thrown into the van. Initially, the police officers did not want to handcuff me because they did not think it was necessary.
“But eventually one officer handcuffed me. This all happened while someone from the crowd kept screaming in my face that I had to be put into the van.”
Singh said the arrest came at one of the most difficult periods of her life.
“Just last month I underwent suffered health setbacks and heart had two stents inserted in my heart.
“My health deteriorated after my only child, Ishal Singh, died three months ago from a heart attack. He was only 35-years-old and was a Maths teacher.”
She said she was now solely responsible for raising her son’s two children, aged eight and 10.
“I could not cope with losing my son. Now I have to raise my grandsons on my own. Then this happened and I was completely humiliated and degraded in front of everyone.”
Because of her recent surgery, Singh said she struggled to climb into the police vehicle.
“I am not physically strong after my heart surgery. The police had to help me into the van.”
She claimed she remained handcuffed until officers removed the cuffs while the vehicle was travelling.
At the police station, Singh said she was placed inside a holding cell.
“When we arrived, they put me into a holding cell with two other Malawians.”
She said she remained there for more than four hours before her attorney arrived.
“My attorney told the police they had to either charge me or release me because they could not simply keep me there without telling me what I had done.”
According to Singh, no formal charge was explained to her.
“My attorney reminded them that I am a cardiac patient and said they should either release me or take me to hospital and charge me there.”
She said discussions between her legal representative and police continued for hours.
“Eventually they told me that if I identified the tenants they would release me. I said I could not identify them because they were not my tenants.
“They then asked me to write an affidavit confirming that, and said they would let me go. At the same time they warned me that they could arrest me again whenever they wanted.”
Singh remains adamant that she does not know why she was arrested.
“To this day nobody has told me what I was arrested for. They did not even read my rights before taking me away.”
She questioned why she appeared to have been singled out.
“I asked why I was the only landlord arrested when there are many other landlords in the area who actually rent to Malawians.
“I had no Malawian tenants living in my units, yet I was the one arrested.”
Singh also questioned the role of police during the operation.
“What upset me most was the amount of force that was used on me. Why does SAPS allow these march organisations to push their own agenda?
“How can police allow people with no authority to enter my yard, damage my ceilings and search my property when I repeatedly told them I was not hiding anyone?”
She believes police allowed the crowd to influence their actions.
“I definitely feel the police fed into the crowd’s agenda. They allowed people to degrade and disgrace me in front of everyone.”
She said the incident had left lasting emotional scars, she said.
“My phone has not stopped ringing since the incident. Everyone wants to know what happened because the video is everywhere. I still get shivers when I think about it.”
Having lost both her husband in 2009 and her only son earlier this year, Singh says her focus remains on protecting her grandchildren.
“I was a teacher for many years and people knew both my son and I. Now everyone knows me as the woman who was arrested for allegedly harbouring foreign nationals. I feel embarrassed and disgraced.”
She added she was still in discussions with her attorney about the next steps to be taken.
