Durban - An Isipingo police officer is being investigated for misconduct after a video of him surfaced on Facebook where he appears drunk in full uniform.
The video was met with mixed reaction on the Facebook group Umlazi Ikas’ Lami (Umlazi my hood), with some blasting the videographer for capturing the embarrassing moment.
In the video the officer is seen standing and swaying at the scene of an accident, where a marked Isipingo SAPS Toyota Quantum had knocked into the rear of a red private vehicle.
One man at the scene asks the officer how much money he has in the bank, asking him to speak up quickly before the police arrive, while another is heard saying the officer is in a rush to flee the scene.
Another man is heard saying while on the phone: “Come here to Mantuza. Try to get a car to come here. I want you to come and see how drunk this policeman is. He knocked into my car, come and see.”
The officer, who is visibly having trouble stringing together a sentence, then stands next to the man on the phone while the videographer says: “Oh, sergeant knock people over now?”
The 30-second clip also clearly shows the marked police vehicle from the side.
The Daily News sent the video to the SAPS for comment. Spokesperson Thembeka Mbele said a case of misconduct was opened for investigation against the officer.
In comments on the video posted this week, one Facebook user asked for the video to be deleted.
“I’m not saying this in a bad way, but you are making a laughing stock of someone who lives near my house and more especially a black person. You took this video to post it so this man can lose his job,” wrote Nhlakanipho Bee to the person who uploaded the video.
In response, Dalisu Xulu argued that police often leaked videos of alleged suspects gunned down during the commission of crime and these ended up being shared on social media.
“Why must we protect this cop? The whole world must see how he does not take his job seriously,” said Xulu.
According to other comments, the officer is “a kind-hearted person”.
Ciabonga Ndlela Khusu wrote that the officer was in the wrong and should not be defended. “You wanted people to die before seeing that the officer is wrong. If that had been me drunk and driving, I was going to be taught my lesson. He is a useless cop - finish.”