Cops seek victim in ‘poll’ attack video

Footage of this person being beaten, which appears to have been caught on a cellphone, has gone viral.

Footage of this person being beaten, which appears to have been caught on a cellphone, has gone viral.

Published May 12, 2014

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Johannesburg - She is unknown, a victim of a savage mob that leaves her severely wounded, if not dead.

We don’t know who this person is, or when this attack happened but shaky video footage of the attack has gone viral.

Now police are appealing for information about this mystery video, which they say they know nothing about.

The two-minute clip reveals little about the location of the alleged incident or when it was taken, but the gruesome images depict a woman lying on the ground, being kicked and hacked with an axe.

Some of the crowd are wearing ANC T-shirts.

At one point the woman lifts her hand as if to ask for help, before being kicked again. A girl wearing a school uniform kicks the victim in the neck and stomps on her before returning to the crowd.

As she lies unmoving, a man starts hacking at her with an axe.

Police spokesman Solomon Makgale said he doubted the incident happened recently, but said police needed to authenticate the film.

He appealed to the public to supply them with information.

“I’ve asked around and we have to investigate it. If anyone knows about it, they must make contact with (the police),” he said.

The video was posted by Adriana Stuijt, a journalist who lives in the Netherlands.

Speaking to The Star on Monday morning, Stuijt claimed the attack happened on election day. She said ANC members attacked the woman because she was a Cope member.

However, Cope’s Johann Abrie said they did not know anything about it.

Stuijt refused to say where the incident took place, saying that doing so would compromise her friend, who filmed it.

“All I can say is that it was in Gauteng where the violence is still continuing today,” she said.

Anyone with information on the attack can contact the police at 08600 10 111.

* IOL has chosen not to show the video due to its graphic content.

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