Cop due in court over brutal assault
Polokwane - A Vaalwater policeman is due to appear in court on Wednesday on a charge of assault, after cellphone video footage taken in November last year showed him kicking and assaulting a man outside a tavern before arresting him.
The Independent Complaints Directorate has confirmed that it is investigating a case of police brutality.
The Sowetan first reported on the incident last year, but the video footage has only recently been made public, and was posted on 2oceansVibe on Tuesday.
The uniformed police officer reportedly spent time as the acting station commander of Vaalwater police station after the incident occurred.
According to 2oceansVibe, a bystander secretly filmed the assault on a 19-year-old man and a Grade 10 learner outside a Vaalwater tavern on November 24 last year. He was loaded into the police van and later taken to hospital. He laid a charge of assault against the police officer when he was discharged.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mlaudzi told News24 that he had seen the video and found it "horrific" and "very disturbing".
But Mlaudzi said the alleged assault "does not reflect Saps conduct in terms of dealing with suspects".
The police station has also confirmed that a case has been opened.
The Independent Complaints Directorate has confirmed that it is investigating a case of police brutality.
The Sowetan first reported on the incident last year, but the video footage has only recently been made public, and was posted on 2oceansVibe on Tuesday.
The uniformed police officer reportedly spent time as the acting station commander of Vaalwater police station after the incident occurred.
According to 2oceansVibe, a bystander secretly filmed the assault on a 19-year-old man and a Grade 10 learner outside a Vaalwater tavern on November 24 last year. He was loaded into the police van and later taken to hospital. He laid a charge of assault against the police officer when he was discharged.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mlaudzi told News24 that he had seen the video and found it "horrific" and "very disturbing".
But Mlaudzi said the alleged assault "does not reflect Saps conduct in terms of dealing with suspects".
The police station has also confirmed that a case has been opened.