A group of trigger-happy cops from the National Intervention Unit (NIU), who were caught on camera shooting women and children in Delft, have been released on a warning.
A month after footage of the shocking incident surfaced, the families of those affected say the cops received a slap on the wrist despite firing with a shotgun.
On Tuesday the four cops, stationed in Pretoria, made their first appearance at the Bellville Magistrates’ Court where they faced assault charges.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson, Grace Langa, confirms the officers were arrested and brought to Cape Town.
“The complainant and her friends were attacked by police officers where CCTV cameras captured the incident in front of their home,” she says.
“The police officers on the footage were identified as members from the National Intervention Unit in Pretoria and were arrested and detained.
“They appeared on charges of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm and not attempted murder as the wounds were not serious.”
She says the cops weren’t even made to pay bail and were released on a warning as the case was postponed to 16 February.
The husband of one of the victims says the justice system is a joke.
“My wife and her friends are still traumatised.
“How can they be charged with assault?
“Assault is mos when you klap a person and how come they don’t even pay bail?
“The police are letting them off lightly when someone could have died...,” he says.
monique.duval@inl.co.za