Central SA
DA accuses police of shielding VIP officers accused of assault─── REFILWE BEKANE 12:00 Mon, 28 Jul 2025
A recent Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application by the DA has exposed a breakdown in accountability within the police service regarding the disciplinary case of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP protection unit.
Allegedly, the same officers were caught on video in July 2023 brutally assaulting civilians on the N1 highway in Johannesburg.
The incident and its aftermath
According to reports of Defence Web, eight members of Mashatile’s VIP protection unit were filmed assaulting occupants of a VW Polo.
Furthermore, it states the viral video showed the officers, wielding firearms, engaging in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.
The victims, identified as military trainees, described the harrowing experience of being dragged from their vehicle and assaulted.
‘A disciplinary circus and abandoned justice’
The DA’s record of decision from the Paia application indicates that the internal disciplinary procedure against these officers was neither timely nor clear.
According to DA reports, it turned into a two-year circus that was defined by numerous delays, a chaotic procedural environment, and a variety of justifications, including schedule issues, family duties, and the police’s purported incapacity to provide witnesses with basic transportation and accommodation.
“This is not just administrative failure, it is a deliberate failure of justice. The police service, a national law enforcement agency with investigative powers, could not even ensure the attendance of its own witnesses, including the original complainant and the person who recorded the now-infamous video,” said DA police spokesperson Ian Cameron.
National failure of accountability
Meanwhile, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) research shows that public trust in the SAPS has fallen to an all-time low.
It states that trust in the police declined across all provinces over the past two and a half decades, with notable disparities underlying this trend. Provinces such as the Free State, which once reported relatively high trust, have also experienced marked declines, reaching 23% by 2024/25.
“By the time of the 2024/25 survey, no province recorded trust levels above 30%, with the Northern Cape (30%), North West (29%), and Western Cape (28%) ranking highest, but still reflecting low confidence overall,” the HSRC stated.
