Johannesburg - “It’s absolutely horrific.” This is what the national chairman of Justice Project SA, Howard Dembovsky, said in reaction to the conduct of Daveyton police officers who dragged a taxi driver behind a police van.
“I find the statements by the acting provincial police commissioner quite extraordinary when I heard him on the radio say they can’t just suspend anyone.
“With due respect, those police officers should not be suspended. They should be arrested, brought to court and denied bail… what they did was attempted murder,” he said.
Dembovsky said a ticket for obstructive parking, which is what the victim was accused of doing, ranged from R200 to R500.
He said that if the driver had tried to overpower the officers or resist arrest, it shouldn’t have been difficult for five officers to subdue him.
“This is a clear case of brutality, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and attempted murder. The guys are criminals and they should be treated as such. If it was you and I who did that, we’d be in jail right now,” he said.
Jafta Ndlovu, the chairman of the Benoni Taxi Association - under which Daveyton taxis fall - was “heartbroken and devastated” by the event.
The incident is horrific, President Jacob Zuma said.
“The visuals of the incident are horrific, disturbing and unacceptable,” Zuma stated.
“No human being should be treated in that manner.”
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union spokeswoman Theto Mahlakoana said the union also condemned the incident.
Additional reporting by Sapa
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