Mashatile ‘blue lights’ assault case drags on
Yesterday marked exactly a year since members of the VIP Protection Unit attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile were caught in a widely circulated 57-second video that appeared to show them punching and kicking the occupants of a car they had stopped on a Gauteng highway, reports the Daily Maverick.
The matter has been before the Randburg Magistrate’s Court since 24 July 2023. The eight members of the VIP Protection Unit involved in the incident were arrested in August and later released on bail of R10 000 each. They were suspended from work on full pay after the video went viral.
However, the suspension lapsed in October, when national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed they were back on duty.
There has since been no word about the disciplinary process.
The eight accused are Shadrack Kojana, Johannes Mampuru, Posmo Mofokeng, Harmans Ramokhonami, Phineas Boshielo, Churchill Mkhize, Lesiba Ramabu and Moses Fhatuwani.
They face a range of charges, including pointing a firearm, malicious damage to property, reckless and negligent driving, assault GBH, attempting to defeat the administration of justice and assault by way of threats.
David Bruce, an independent researcher on policing and an Institute of Security Studies consultant, told DM: ‘At face value, this is a case of an assault by members of the SAPS on civilians. It illustrates that the current system of police accountability is dysfunctional. Accountability should not hinge on criminal prosecution.’
Bruce said SAPS members who are involved in this kind of conduct should be dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
‘Instead, the approach within the SAPS is that they will defer to the criminal trial, which relies on a much higher standard of proof. The SAPS uses the criminal trial as an excuse for not taking disciplinary action. The fact that the criminal trial is still dragging on should not stand in the way of finalising the disciplinary process. If the criminal prosecution fails that should not mean that these members evade disciplinary accountability.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
