APA-Pretoria (South Africa) Four of the eight bodyguards of South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile linked to a sensational highway attack of members of the public have been suspended to facilitate investigations, the police confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident became public this week after a video showing the vicious attack went viral on social media.
The clip showed how more than six members of the VIP protection unit attached to Mashatile assaulted the helpless and unarmed men in Johannesburg on the highway to Pretoria.
One of the assaulted men appeared to have lost consciousness after the attack.
Police said they have identified the officers captured in the footage and pledged to take the matter to court once the investigation has been finalised.
In a statement, Mashatile described the incident as “unfortunate”, saying he abhorred any unnecessary use of force, particularly against unarmed civilians.
“Members of the SAPS are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner,” he said.
Both the public and politicians have criticised the bodyguards’ behaviour, saying South Africa was “not a gangster state.”
Opposition Action South Africa party leader Herman Mashaba urged political parties represented in Parliament to ensure Mashatile was held to account in the House and that the bodyguards in question are also held “responsible for their brutality inflicted on ordinary South Africans.”
NM/jn/APA