Churchgoers torment cop's nights

Sleepless nights, inability to eat and severe chest pains are the reminders Siphiwe Sebati has of being surrounded and beaten outside a Hillbrow church on Sunday.

Sebati, a Johannesburg metro cop, spoke to The Times on Wednesday at his home in Pimville, Soweto, and described how, three days after the attack, he was still in pain and struggling to sleep.

"I can't eat because my jaw is painful . I can't fully open my mouth. My neck is still painful and my back is painful. My ribs are still sore.

"I can't sleep because of the trauma I went through. I have nightmares and wake up and stay awake all night.

"Last night this thing was playing in my head until the morning and I could not sleep."

Sebati was attacked by members of the Revelation Church of God on Sunday after he and his colleagues removed an illegally parked vehicle belonging to one of the congregants.

A group of furious church members attacked him, beating and kicking him and taking his firearm.

Sebati was left unconscious. Two of the congregants were arrested when they returned Sebati's firearm to the police.

The incident was videoed and shared on social networks.

Sebati said the attack illustrated the lack of respect for law enforcement officers.

He explained how he was able to prevent anyone from getting hurt while tussling over the gun with the congregants.

"It is the training I got from JMPD. We were trained on how to deal with such situation, in particular the handling of the gun.''

Sebati's lawyer said her client was considering taking civil action against the church and would ask the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities to take action against the congregation and its leader.