Hanover Park Teen Returns Home With Broken Arm After Alleged Police Assault

A Hanover Park mother is demanding answers after her 17-year-old son allegedly returned home with a broken arm following his detention at Philippi police station.

Charlene Grant claims her son was assaulted by police officers after being arrested on 5 October 2026, with a doctor later confirming the fracture and placing his arm in a cast. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has confirmed that the assault allegation was reported to the directorate.

Teen Arrested After Police Allegedly Find Ammunition

Grant told said that her son was standing outside with a friend watching TikTok videos when members of the Anti-Gang Unit called him into a neighbour’s house.

Officers later searched the family home and allegedly found ammunition inside his underwear box. Grant said the officers showed the family a plastic bag containing what they claimed to have found, but the family did not see what was inside.

According to Grant, her son spent his first night in the holding cells before being moved to a separate cell on the second night ahead of his court appearance. She said he spent a total of 48 hours at Philippi police station before appearing at Athlone Magistrate’s Court. He was released under house arrest on 7 October, but allegedly returned home with a broken arm.

Mother Says Doctor Confirmed Broken Arm

Grant said the family took the teenager to Hanover Park Hospital after noticing his injury. A doctor examined him, opened a J88 medical report and confirmed that his arm was broken before placing it in a cast.

The mother alleges that a female police officer struck her son and stood on top of him during the incident. She said the teenager could identify the officer and recognise the faces of the other officers allegedly involved in the assault.

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“All of those officers had something to do with the beating and he can recognise their faces.”

Grant said she and her husband were each preparing their own statements detailing what allegedly happened on the night their son was apprehended. She added that they were documenting their accounts independently.

“What my husband and I are currently doing, in our own capacity, is each writing down our own statement of what happened that night.”

IPID Investigating Assault Allegation

The family has opened an assault case against Philippi police at Lansdowne police station. Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala told IOL Media that the matter was under investigation by IPID.

IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping confirmed that the assault allegation had been reported to the directorate and said he was awaiting a report from its Western Cape office.

“The incident of assault was reported to IPID. I am currently waiting for a report on the incident from the Western Cape office,” Shuping said.

The allegations have not been established as fact, and the investigation remains ongoing.