Cape Town – The EFF in the Western Cape is calling for the three police officers to be brought to book, after they were caught on camera assaulting a group of men with a sjambok.
In a 30-second video that surfaced on social media, the officers can be seen confronting the men, one was seen sjamboking another man, while another officer was searching and slapping a second man.
In a tweet, EFF condemned what they called an "inhumane action" of the police officers. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said after the circulation of the video on social media platforms depicting the police officials' actions on Tuesday, the Saps in the Western Cape has with immediate effect, instituted a probe.
Potelwa said the investigation is led by the Worcester Cluster Commander, Major General Nomthetheleli Mene. Preliminary findings have revealed that the incident occurred on Monday, in Worcester near an industrial area.
She said the police vehicle in the video belongs to Ceres police station (shown by the marking on the side of the van) but is currently utilised by a police unit in Worcester. The police officials captured in the video, have been identified and are Saps employees attached to a unit in Worcester and the two individuals (one searched, slapped and another sjamboked) are yet-to-be identified and interviewed as part of the investigation.
"Further investigation into the matter is expected to also shed light on what had happened prior to the recording commencing," said Potelwa.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said he would request a report on the investigation to take further remedial action, if necessary.
Fritz said it is imperative that citizens in the province look to Saps to ensure their safety and that this is not undermined by misconduct of any kind.
"While I welcome the investigation into this alleged misconduct, I strongly condemn the actions of those officers. It is my hope that the investigation will provide more insight into the events surrounding the incident," Fritz said.
Cape Argus