Africa-Press – South-Africa. The office of Deputy President Paul Mashatile says he wasn’t present at the scene when several police VIP unit officers were caught on camera assaulting two men on the N1 highway in northern Johannesburg over the weekend.
The video, which has been widely shared on social media platforms, has drawn outrage over the officers’ heavy-handed treatment of the motorists.
The footage starts with one of the men been dragged out of their vehicle, a metallic blue VW.
A number of the officers have their weapons drawn, while at least two of them can be seen kicking the men as they lie on the ground.
The policemen then retreat and get into two black BMWs.
Mashatile’s office released a statement on Tuesday, saying the deputy president had become aware of the incident involving South African Police Service officers attached to his protection detail.
“At this stage, I am not able to confirm. It is what I am hearing, and we all are hearing, but we are not able to confirm,” Mashatile’s spokesperson Vukani Mde told News24.
He added:
In a statement, Mde said the Mashatile condemned “any unnecessary use of force, particularly against unarmed civilians”.
“The deputy president appeals to the public to allow the SAPS the necessary space to complete its investigation into the incident and take whatever corrective action is deemed necessary,” he said.
“The deputy president has full confidence in the SAPS under the leadership of Minister Bheki Cele and the command of General [Fannie] Masemola to do the right thing in this regard.”
Earlier on Tuesday morning, the police said they had made contact with the victims and had identified the officers involved.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said they would take statements from the men as part of the investigation.
She added that the officers involved would be “subjected to internal processes”.
“The police officers involved have also been identified and will be subjected to internal processes. Management of the SAPS views this as serious and will get to the bottom of this incident.”
Mathe said that eight officers had been involved in the attack, but that there was no VIP in any of the vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) said it, too, was investigating the matter.
IPID said its executive director had received complaints from two parliamentarians.
“IPID investigators have already been in contact with the family members of the victims so that they could be assisted in laying charges. Engagements are underway to also get the employers of the victims to assist with the investigations,” said spokesperson Robbie Raburabu in statement on Tuesday.
He added that IPID had “engaged” police management and that they were “offering their full cooperation”.
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