South Africans have expressed outrage after a video showing plain-clothed officers attached to the deputy president’s security team stomping on men on a busy Johannesburg highway.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile was reportedly not in the convoy at the time of the incident. He said that he “abhors any unnecessary use of force, particularly against unarmed civilians,” according to a statement on Tuesday.
Mashatile said that the national commissioner of police had promised a thorough investigation into the incident.
The officers traveling in a convoy were seen assaulting three men who were in a car. One of the victims is said to have fallen unconscious on the tarmac after he was kicked in the head.
'Police brutality'
“This is what happens daily to South Africans under the hands of police. This came to light because a video was recorded. Police brutality is a big problem in our country,” Malume Jaki, a taxi driver in Johannesburg, told Anadolu news agency.
Anger and debates on how VIP protection officers conduct themselves have dominated social media spaces and local broadcasters across the country.
“Those protection officers must be subjected to disciplinary hearing for public assault and bringing the deputy president (Paul Mashatile) into disrepute. Let the law take its course,” Lindie Langa, a Twitter user, said.
In a statement, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), a subsidiary of the South African Police Service (SAPS), said that it is investigating the incident and that its officers have already contacted the victims.
“IPID has already also engaged SAPS management who are offering their full cooperation as far as IPID Investigation is concerned,” the statement said.
