Cape Town - Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has defended the police's failure to arrest Deputy Minister Mduduzi Manana, saying there was no reason to rush when there was no emergency.
Briefing media in Parliament, Mbalula said rushing to make an arrest often leads to bungling of cases.
"I am not judging anyone about the case of Mdu Manana. It is true that in society our law has got eyes in terms of who the perpetrator is and are treated with special kid gloves."
Mbalula was adamant that Manana would not be treated with kid gloves and that he will face the full force of the law like everyone else.
He also said the police have to be thorough in their investigation before effecting arrests.
Mbalula was briefing the media in the wake of Manana appearing in court after allegedly assaulting a female patron at a nightclub in Johannesburg at the weekend.
Mbalula said Manana appeared in the Randburg Magistrate's Court after handing himself over to the police in the morning following constant cooperation with investigators from day the case was reported.
Manana had availed himself and was cooperative, Mbalula said.
He explained that arrests has to be done within procedures and that arrests were not a form of punishment.
Ministerial 6 Point Plan intervening gender based violence. We must protect children, women, people with disability and the LGBTI community pic.twitter.com/YUGwmvFTz5
— RSA Police Minister (@MbalulaFikile) August 10, 2017
"An arrest is to secure appearance in court and in an emergency to restore peace...He is known and can't hide. He is not a flight risk."
He insisted the arrests were made to secure suspects appearance in court.
"We have a victim who was able to identify the attacker and law is to take its course," Mbalula said.
However, Mbalula expressed his disappointment that Manana had acted in the alleged manner he did as he was expected " to act as an ambassador in the protection of women".
He also said everyone was presumed innocent and until proven guilty.