The SAPS has been accused by the DA of protecting Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP Protection Unit following the acquittal of its members in an internal disciplinary process earlier this year.

According to a report in The Star, the party said its Promotion of Access to Information Act application in the disciplinary case involving the VIP Protection Unit exposes a breakdown in accountability in the SAPS and a cover-up.

The eight officers were filmed assaulting passengers and the driver of a car on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in 2023. They were acquitted by the SAPS in May through an internal disciplinary process.

The party said the information showed that instead of a swift and transparent disciplinary process, this case descended into a two-year ‘circus’ of postponements, procedural chaos and excuses, including scheduling conflicts, family obligations, as well as the SAPS’ alleged inability to organise basic transport and accommodation.

The information also revealed that the case was abandoned because key witnesses had disappeared.

The DA said this was not just an administrative failure but a deliberate failure of justice.

‘SAPS – a national law enforcement agency with investigative powers – could not even ensure the attendance of its own witnesses, including the original complainant and the person who recorded the now infamous video. Worse still, investigators ignored evidence, failed to pursue obvious leads, and disregarded footage that clearly identified the perpetrators,’ the party said.

The DA claimed the SAPS was protecting the eight officers, adding that even after a court confirmed the admissibility of video footage showing the assault, it still refused to act.

‘This points to an intentional cover-up and raises serious questions about SAPS’ internal integrity, competence, and willingness to discipline politically connected officers.’

The party added that the role of the Police & Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) throughout the process was equally disgraceful, saying rather than supporting accountability, the organisation seems to have engaged in deliberate delays, strategic withdrawals, and procedural sabotage, shielding the perpetrators instead of upholding justice.

According to The Star, Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the organisation categorically rejects the ‘baseless and politically’ expedient accusations that it has acted in a manner that undermines accountability or due process.

Mamabolo said that as a trade union representing law enforcement officers, Popcru operates within the bounds of the law and collective agreements governing disciplinary processes in the public service.

Full report in The Star