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

Some of the eight VIP Protection Unit officers at the Sandton Police Station on Sunday, 22 July 2023, where they were charged with assaulting four people on the N1 in Johannesburg. (Photo: Leon Sadiki)

By Michelle Banda

25 Jul 2023

Eight VIP protection unit officers charged with assaulting four people on the N1 in Johannesburg appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday. One of the accused claimed they were protecting ‘South Africa’s second [most] important citizen’.

Eight Presidential Protection Service officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security unit appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday for a bail application after handing themselves over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Sunday afternoon.

They face 12 charges that include malicious damage to property, assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, pointing a firearm, reckless or negligent driving and an attempt to defeat or obstruct the administration of justice.

cop highway assault Some of the eight Presidential Protection Service officers were charged at the Sandton Police Station on Sunday with assaulting four people on the N1 in Johannesburg. They appeared in court on Monday. (Photo: Leon Sadiki)

They were caught on camera allegedly punching and kicking four military trainees who appeared to have been dragged out of a Polo Vivo while travelling on the N1 highway in Johannesburg.

The eight accused 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 Tshidada.

During the court appearance, magistrate Hlengiwe Mkhabisi expressed concern that the complainants had not clearly identified the roles of the accused, indicating that an identification parade had not been conducted.

However, State advocate Elize le Roux told the court that the State relied heavily on statements taken from the complainants and the officers, which were made soon after the incident had occurred, as well as the contents of the video, which placed the accused at the scene.

Le Roux added that supplementary affidavits may be taken from the complainants. Meanwhile, further investigations are set to identify what role each of the accused played.

The court heard that three of the accused were captured on video in the act of assault, while one member of Mashatile’s team remained in the car. It remains unclear what role the four other accused played as they were seen on video standing on the left side of the Polo Vivo driven by the victims.

Seven of the accused are SAPS warrant officers and one is a sergeant. All are employed by the SAPS in the Presidential Protection Service unit and have been suspended on full pay.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Eight VIP protection officers suspended after Gauteng highway assault

While the video was said to have been captured on Sunday, 2 July at about 4pm, it only made headlines on the following evening. The incident ignited rage across South Africa, leading to calls to rein in VIP blue light convoys.

The four victims gave statements to Ipid, but the court heard that they feared for their safety. One of the victims, the owner of the Polo Vivo, is in the process of changing the car’s registration number for fear of being identified. The court also heard that the reported extent of damage to the Polo Vivo caused by the police officers amounts to R95,000.

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

The first accused, Shadrack Molekatlane Kojana, told the court that when the incident happened they were in a convoy of close to nine cars.

“We stopped the Polo Vivo car because it came approaching from the back at a fast pace manoeuvring in between the convoy which is responsible for the Deputy President’s protection,” he said.

“We boxed the car or tried to move it to the side of the road so it wouldn’t get anywhere close to the car with South Africa’s second [most] important citizen. And it had seemed suspicious, so there was a voice communication from the radio that said, ‘Check the blue Polo Vivo.’ ”

Kojana said the video wasn’t a true reflection of what happened, as it had not captured everything that occurred.

He said they were trying to calm the situation when they stopped the car and the occupants retaliated when the police officers identified themselves and asked them to step outside the vehicle.

Kojana said that they had reported the incident to the convoy leader, a Lieutenant-Colonel Shange, when they reached their destination in Waterfall Estate, where Mashatile lives, about 40 minutes after the incident.

However, the court heard from the State that the incident was only registered at 11.45pm, almost six hours later, and that some of the details had been omitted from the report.

Kojana’s court statement has raised questions over whether Mashatile was in any of the vehicles at the time of the incident. His spokesperson, Vukani Mde, has previously said he was not in the convoy.

Among the many in attendance at court on Monday was the DA’s Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga.

Msimanga said: “If Mashatile was not there and now the accused is saying they were trying to make sure that the car does not get to ‘important [citizen] number two’, what does that mean? I think South Africans are being lied to. We are going to be demanding the truth be told.

“I think there is a whole lot of things that have not been said and if indeed it is found out that the Deputy President lied to us and concealed a crime, that is an indictment on the second citizen of the country. We are going to dig deep and follow this very closely, even from a parliamentary level.”

The case was postponed to Wednesday, 26 July. The accused will remain in custody while the bail hearing continues. DM

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