The National Press Club (NPC) has condemned the assault of Pretoria based journalist, Frans Sello Machate.
Machate claims that he was severely assaulted in front of his wife and young children inside his house on Wednesday by members of the South African Police Service and Tshwane Metro Police.
NPC chairman, Jos Charle, said the club condemned what appeared to be excessive force by police against an unarmed citizen.
"The NPC asserts the police’ right to uphold law and order, but note that this cannot be done outside the prescripts of the Constitution,".
Machate runs his independent PINA news agency in Pretoria and he is a long-standing member of the press club.
Charle urged relevant authorities to investigate the alleged conduct of the officers while allowing due process to unfold.
The injured journalist said the officers took him outside his home where he was assaulted and then he was taken to hospital where he got stitches.
Carle said that after he left the hospital, he was charged with reckless and negligent driving, and assaulting a police officer.
Tshwane Metro Police Department's spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, said the matter of Machate's complaint, and the police officers' claims will be thoroughly investigated.
