All eight members of the police’s VIP protection unit who were believed to be involved in the alleged assault of three men on the N1 have now received letters of possible suspension.
The police officers have also since been withdrawn from their posts and will be office-bound pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation.
Lt. Gen. Sehlahle Fannie Masemola, national police commissioner, made it clear during a media conference on Thursday that the police do not approve of the officers’ actions in the video.
“No amount of defiance can ever justify what we saw in the video.”
A storm erupted around the police’s VIP protection unit this week after a disturbing video of the incident on the highway surfaced on social media on Monday evening.
RNews previously reported that the police officers in the video have since been given the opportunity to make representations with reasons why they should not be suspended under the circumstances.
These representations will now be considered.
It can be seen in the video of the incident how officers from the police’s VIP protection services pluck three occupants from a Volkswagen Polo along the highway before these men are repeatedly kicked. The police officers then jump back into their BMWs and drive away.
On Wednesday, Rise Mzansi appealed to South Africans who have also kicked off a set with this unit to come forward with information about it.
The party does not believe that the recent incident on the N1 was an isolated case and that many other South Africans probably have similar stories to tell.
