South African cartoonist’s home seiged by police

Andre Trantraal, a cartoonist for the Cape Times, alleges that police searched his home without a warrant pointing guns at his family – including children.

Describing the incident, Andre Trantraal said: “I was about to enter my front gate when two police vans pulled up and 10 to 15 heavily armed policemen got out. One of them ordered me to lie down or he said he’d kick me. The rest of the policemen kicked the front door open, shattering one of the glass panels.”

He said the officer standing over him asked if he knew the previous owners.

The police report that the raid was conducted on five homes – all with warrants – in their efforts to curb the drug trade. The report does not state whether Andre was suspected of dealing in drugs, but heavily suggests that the police were looking for the previous tenants.

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