The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has ordered a probe into an irresponsible and unprofessional conduct by police officers who were caught by a CCTV camera assaulting a person during an operation in Tongaat on Friday night.
In the video footage a police officer can be seen hitting a man with an open hand in what appeared to be an unprovoked act. A little later on, several other police officers ganged up on the same victim and attacked him. One officer can be seen in the video kicking the man who was already down and stood on top of him.
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi demanded a detailed report on what led to the attack to the man and ordered for corrective steps to be taken against those officers who will be found to have acted against SAPS Code of Conduct and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi said that during the execution of their duties, police officers must be mindful of the Constitution and the Code of Conduct and must strive to uphold the law at all times. “Police officers took an oath to protect and serve and as such they must never abuse the powers vested upon them. Communities must be and feel safe in the presence of police officers and not be fearful of the very same officers who are supposed to be their source of refuge. Police can only retaliate with a proportional, minimum force if they find themselves under any form of attack”, said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
The Provincial Commissioner added that if the report points out certain wrongdoings by police officers, the officers concerned will face the wrath of internal corrective measures. No one is above the law, and that includes police officers.
