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Four VIP Protection Unit Officers Face Suspension Following Internal Investigation
Four VIP Protection Unit officers received suspension letters after the recent case of the Joburg highway assault. According to 702, a video on social media showed how the blue VW Polo driver was forcefully pulled out of the vehicle and subjected to assault. The incident occurred on the N1 in Fourways, involving eight members of the VIP Protection Unit assigned to Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
See the video below, courtesy of Ian Cameron:
Make these thugs famous! Allegedly cops of VIP protection unit. This is an atrocity. This is what happens when the police is used as an iron fist for the state. Apparently in Johannesburg today. What will happen to them @SAPoliceService? Whatever happened to serve and protect?! pic.twitter.com/mkImtSNpmw
— Ian Cameron (@IanCameron23) July 3, 2023
One officer stomped on the victim’s head while the others joined in with kicks. They now must provide representations as to why they should not receive suspensions under the circumstances, according to Athlenda Mathe, spokesperson for the police. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is investigating the matter, and the police management has contacted the victims.
Despite these actions, the shocking visuals have sparked outrage locally and internationally, with widespread condemnation of the incident. Makashule Gana of the political party Rise Mzansi praised the vigilant commuter who recorded the violence, stating that without their intervention, this incident of lawlessness by the SAPS VIP officers could have gone unchecked.
Also read:
Tshwane mayor urges residents to film police for personal safety
Picture: Twitter / beard_messiah
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