The Independent Investigative Directorate (IPID) has confirmed that it is investigating the assault of a man in Fish Hoek by two police who were seen in a video beating the man on the ground with their batons.
At one point he is heard saying that he had called the police to report a missing person.
The @IPID_ZA is investigating the assault of a man in Fish Hoek by 2 police officers who were seen in a video beating a man with their batons. At one point he is heard saying that he had called police to report a missing person. Full story online. Video contains strong language pic.twitter.com/30jLwuBI09
— AlgoaFMNews (@AlgoaFMNews) August 15, 2022
IPID spokesperson, Lizzy Suping, said in a brief statement that they are investigating a case of assault.
Western Cape police management meanwhile, appointed a senior police official at the District Level to institute an investigation in terms of the SAPS disciplinary code into the conduct of two police officials seen in the video.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said the two policemen are from Fish Hoek SAPS and had responded to a complaint in the area about a missing individual.
"While criminal investigations into the conduct of SAPS members fall within the ambit of the IPID, the SAPS internal investigation will focus on whether the members had flouted any disciplinary prescripts that relate to the conduct of police members," she said.
Potelwa said one of the police officers opened an assault case against the man in the video, adding that he also opened a case of assault GBH with the police and the docket will be referred to the IPID.
The Fish Hoek Community Policing Forum has also weighed in after members who went to the police station were "verbally abused and physically assaulted" by SAPS members.
"SAPS has a duty of care to all members of the public and accusations of police brutality should not be taken lightly or dismissed out of hand," said CPF chairperson, Jonathan Mills.
"We will be following up on the charges which have been laid by both parties in the original incident and have submitted our own complaint, along with further video evidence, regarding the behaviour of both members in the charge office to the Station Commander and the CPF Cluster Board for investigation," he said.
