Three cops have landed in hot water after they were caught on camera assaulting two men with a sjambok.
Police in the Western Cape are now investigating after the video of the assault went viral on social media.
In the 30-second video, which was posted on Tuesday, a police van identified as belonging to the Ceres Visible Policing branch shows three cops as well as one suspect, his hands against the van.
Officers can be seen frisking the man, while a female police officer can be seen smacking someone else behind the van.
The man then emerges from behind the vehicle, and an officer can be seen holding a sjambok in his hand while speaking to the men.
The men are asked where their face masks were as they weren’t wearing any.
The man who was earlier behind the van says something to the officer who then grabs his colleague’s sjambok and starts whipping him.
The two men then flee from the police.
In a statement released on Wednesday, SAPS’ Novela Potelwa said an investigation into the matter was underway and was being led by the Worcester cluster commander, Major-General Nomthetheleli Mene.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed the incident occurred in Worcester near an industrial area on Monday, January 18, 2021,” Potelwa said.
“The police vehicle in the video belongs to Ceres Police Station, hence the marking on the side of the van, but is currently utilised by a police unit in Worcester.
“The police officials captured in the video have been identified and are SAPS employees attached to a unit in Worcester.
“The two individuals (one searched, slapped and another sjambokked) are yet to be identified and interviewed as part of the investigation.”
She said further investigation into the matter was expected to shed light on what happened before the incident was recorded.
“SAPS in the Western Cape wishes to place on record that the beating up and manhandling of individuals and/or suspects is against departmental directives and prescripts that govern the handling of persons by police officials.
“In addition, the use of a sjambok by police officials is not only forbidden but unlawful,” Potelwa said.
She said the names of the police officers involved and speculation as to what really occurred would at this stage be detrimental to the investigation.
African News Agency (ANA)