Maverick News

Trial of Mashatile’s VIP protection officers delayed amid growing calls for police reform

7 Feb 2025

Two Bloemfontein police officers accused of assaulting a woman at Heidedal police station have been arrested, while the high-profile case against Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s former VIP protection officers continues to drag on in court. Presiding magistrate Abdul Kadir Khan has criticised the slow progress, saying the trial is taking longer than expected. Meanwhile, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has raised concerns over delays in consequence management within the South African Police Service (SAPS), highlighting the urgent need for accountability and reform.

The Police Ministry has confirmed the arrest of a constable and a sergeant in Bloemfontein after a woman filed an assault charge against them. The woman alleged that the officers attacked her at Heidedal Police Station while she was reporting verbal abuse by her boyfriend. Surveillance footage from the station has since surfaced, showing the officers repeatedly assaulting her. The two officers are set to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 7 February 2025.

We commend @RSA_IPID for its swift action, and we assure the public that the law will take its course. pic.twitter.com/r0ipimwvYO

— Senzo Mchunu (@Senzo_Mchunu_) February 7, 2025

Meanwhile, after a week-long trial in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, the case against Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s former VIP protection officers has been postponed by four months to 10 June 2025 to allow more witnesses to testify.

Read more: ‘I saw my life flash before my eyes,’ says victim in Mashatile’s VIP Protection Unit assault case

Over the past week, four witnesses took the stand. Two were occupants of the VW Polo Vivo who witnessed the alleged assault. Another witness was an expert who authenticated the viral video of the attack, while the fourth was the man who shared the footage.

The trial stems from a widely circulated video showing Mashatile’s former VIP officers brutally assaulting civilians on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in July 2023. The footage caused a national outcry, raising concerns over police brutality and accountability within elite law enforcement units.

The eight VIP officers involved in the case are Shadrack Molekatlane Kojana, Johannes Matome Mampuru, Posmo Joseph Mofokeng, Harmans Madumetja Ramokhonami, Phineas Molefo Boshielo, Churchill Mpakamaseni Mkhize, Lesiba Aggrie Ramabu, and Moses Fhatuwani. They face multiple charges, including assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, pointing a firearm, malicious damage to property, reckless driving, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The delay in their case marks yet another hurdle in the high-profile case, which has drawn significant public and media attention.

Speaking on the sidelines of court proceedings the presiding magistrate in the matter, Abdul Kadir Khan, criticised the slow progress, saying the trial was taking longer than expected.

Parliament urges SAPS reform

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police recently raised concerns about the delay in consequence management at the South African Police Service (SAPS), including Mashatile’s VIP protection unit.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has revealed that at least 40 police officers are currently suspended with full pay for various crimes, including murder and sexual assault. He said these officers remained off duty, but continued to draw salaries at taxpayers’ expense, raising questions about the efficiency of internal disciplinary processes.

Read more: ‘Problem officers’ in Mashatile’s VIP protection unit likely to get away with slap on wrist, say experts

Parliament’s police oversight committee has reiterated its stance that rogue officers must be removed from the force. The committee has called for urgent reforms to prevent those accused of serious crimes from benefiting from prolonged suspensions while cases drag on.

‘A disgrace that Mashatile’s VIP officers are still serving’

Crime activist and chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, said the case of Mashatile’s former VIP members was disgraceful, and especially that they were still “serving” members of SAPS.

“So many members of the SAPS have shared their frustration and embarrassment about these members. Many members get sacked for far less serious offences, but these, attached to the security detail of the deputy president, seem to get special attention. We will not stop fighting this. We must clean the SAPS of the rot on every level.”

Terrifying ordeal for Victims

During this week’s court proceedings, two key witnesses — occupants of the VW Polo Vivo — testified about their terrifying ordeal at the hands of the VIP officers.

“After shoving us off the road and pointing their guns at us, one of the officers asked us to alight from the vehicle. The men I was with were rather dragged out of the car. As the only woman in the car I was asked to go back inside it. I was so scared of those guys I closed my eyes for a few minutes. When I opened them I saw one of them took out the car keys from the ignition and threw them away before they drove off. As I stepped out of the car I realised how badly my fellow companions were, one totally unconscious, the other with blood coming from the back of their head,” one witness said.

Race card

The other witness alluded to the fact that what happened to them might have been also motivated by race, stating: “There were four of us in the car, all of us coloured people. Without playing the race card, it is common cause that when too many coloured people are seen in a space it raises suspicions of bad behaviour, which I suspect is what happened here. The nature of the stop and search was rather odd, and we did not see the blue lights. In the military we do those as well, and I assume the concept is the same. First you have to introduce yourself, share details of the office or department you are representing and give reasons for why you are stopping the car and ask for permission before doing your work. To this day I don’t know why we were stopped.”

Key accused identified

The witnesses went further in identifying Accused N0 6, Churchill Mpakamaseni Mkhize, as the officer who smashed their car window, threw away their keys, and pointed an R5 rifle at them while the car was still in motion. They further stated that Mkhize was the same man who forcefully dragged them out of the vehicle and ordered them on to the ground. They also alleged that he was the one who called the rest to leave the scene after noticing the military jacket of one of the occupants in the boot of the car.

In the widely circulated footage of the incident, Accused N0 6 is seen wearing a green top, emerging from the left rear passenger side of a BMW parked next to the Polo. He is carrying what appears to be a rifle. This was a major revelation in court, which the witnesses are said to have left out in their statements to the police.

Defence argues witnesses were drunk

However defence lawyer Mswazi Makhubela argued that the witnesses could not remember much of what happened on the day because they were intoxicated, and it was the video that they are relying on to jog their memory, which could not be a credible account of what happened.

He added that the reason the victims’ car was stopped was because they were driving recklessly, and despite having signalled them to stop they were not cooperating. Hence the officers had to use “minimum” force on them.

Makhubela further argued that in fact the victims were driving drunk, and that at least four beers were found in the car and a crate with empty bottles in the boot. He also said that there was no way the victims could have failed to see the blue lights on the officers’ BMW.

“I put it to you that saying you did not see the blue lights is either lying or hiding something. If you could see the officers trying to stop you, how did you not hear the sirens?”

Makhubela said the accused did not know if the victims posed a danger or not when they made them stop, however their erratic driving was the reason they stopped the car.

Was Mashatile in the convoy?

In previous hearings Makhubela had said that in fact the Polo was disturbing the deputy president’s convoy. To this day it remains unclear whether Mashatile was in the convoy or not. His office reported he was not in the convoy, but ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mabalula has said he was in it.

Read more: We were protecting SA’s second most important citizen, says Mashatile protection officer in highway assault case

More witnesses are expected when the trial resumes in June. DM

Categories:

Maverick News

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...