A video showing security guards for South Africa’s Vice President forcibly dragging a man out of a car and kicking him in the head has sparked outrage in the country.
This is reported by the American news agency AP Videos circulating on social media show a group of men in plain clothes forcibly dragging a man out of a car in the middle of a highway in Johannesburg and then repeatedly kicking his head until he is unconscious.
The video also shows another man being attacked, with his hands on his head to protect himself from the beatings of the security police responsible for protecting the Vice President of South Africa, Paul Mashatile, who is on was not present at the time. of the incident.
[WATCH] Vice President Paul Mashatile’s spokesperson Vukani Mde says they are still trying to collect information about the brutal attack on civilians by police officers linked to Mashatile’s security detail on a Johannesburg highway.#newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/qiHIOPvrUs
– Newzroom Africa (@Newzroom405) July 4, 2023
Known in South Africa as the ‘blue light brigade’, this police protection unit has a reputation for using unnecessary force; Police officers are often criticized for speeding on highways and reacting brutally when drivers fail to recognize the little blue lights and sirens and speed away.
An investigation has already been opened and the Vice President’s office issued a statement saying it “abhors any unnecessary use of force, especially against unarmed civilians.”
The video released by another driver and posted to Twitter also shows seven police officers getting back into their cars and leaving after the attack in which at least three people participated, one unconscious man, another weakened and a woman left with hands up. your head.
South Africa has a problem with police brutality, with the most notorious incident occurring in 2021 when 34 miners were killed when police opened fire on them during a protracted strike for better wages and working conditions.
In 2020, in another highly publicized incident, a man was attacked to death in his home by soldiers, in front of the passive gaze of the police.
According to official data, the Police Behavioral Investigation Unit received 3,407 complaints about police actions between 2021 and 2022, or almost 10 complaints per day.
Source: DN
