The Democratic Alliance (DA) is appalled by the shocking revelations obtained through our Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application into the disciplinary case involving Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP protection unit – the same officers caught on video brutally assaulting civilians on the N1 highway.
The record of decision we obtained exposes a complete breakdown in accountability within the South African Police Service (SAPS). Instead of a swift and transparent disciplinary process, this case descended into a two-year circus of postponements, procedural chaos and excuses, including scheduling conflicts, family obligations, and SAPS’s alleged inability to organise basic transport and accommodation. In the end, the case was abandoned because key witnesses had “disappeared.”
This is not just administrative failure, it is a deliberate failure of justice. SAPS, 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. Worse still, investigators ignored evidence, failed to pursue obvious leads, and disregarded footage that clearly identified the perpetrators.
The SAPS is protecting these thugs in uniform. These are not officers of the law. Even after a court confirmed the admissibility of video footage showing the assault, SAPS still refused to act. This points to an intentional cover-up and raises serious questions about SAPS’s internal integrity, competence, and willingness to discipline politically connected officers.
The role of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) throughout the process was equally disgraceful. Rather than supporting accountability, POPCRU seems to have engaged in deliberate delays, strategic withdrawals, and procedural sabotage, shielding the perpetrators instead of upholding justice.
This was not a disciplinary hearing. It was a coordinated cover-up.
The DA is calling for the urgent establishment of a professional, independent SAPS disciplinary unit, modelled on the dedicated structure in KwaZulu-Natal, to fast-track cases of serious misconduct and restore the integrity of the disciplinary process.
We will not relent until every one of Mashatile’s blue light bullies is held to account. The SAPS must serve the people of South Africa. not act as a protection racket for the politically connected.
In August, the blue light thugs are expected to appear in court for their verdict in the criminal proceedings, which will hopefully not see the same outcome as the internal disciplinary abortion of justice