The South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that it would appoint an independent investigator regarding an incident where South Africa’s star cyclist Nicholas Dlamini ended up with his arm broken after a scuffle with rangers.
In a statement on Saturday, Lize McCourt, SANParks’ acting chief executive, said management had met with five rangers involved in the now viral scuffle and had placed them on precautionary suspension pending the finalisation of the investigation.
Environmental Minister Barbara Creecy had on Friday night called on management to suspend the rangers following her visit to a local hospital, where scans showed Dlamini’s arm had been broken.
The minister had visited the cyclist following footage of the alleged incident going viral on Friday.
According to a SANParks statement, the chief executive had expressed regret for the incident and had committed to affording Dlamini and his family “all the necessary support”.
“The incident took place at the Silvermines Section of the Table Mountain National Park on Friday, 27 December 2019 and has since attracted a lot attention on social media platforms with the Minister of Environment, Forest and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy calling for SANParks to ensure that the matter is given priority,” she said.
** SANParks has requested eyewitnesses to contact Koketso Kotsoe on 072 333 1990 or email [email protected]