Lawyers bid to prevent the media from taking pictures or videos of the eight VIP protection unit suspects delayed the court proceedings on Monday.
The suspects, assigned to protect Deputy President Paul Mashatile, appeared in the Randburg magistrate’s court for assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.
This after they handed themselves over to the police in Sandton on Sunday afternoon.
Their arrest was as a result of a widely circulated video footage showing the men assaulting civilians on the N1 highway with rifles earlier in July.
The lawyers representing the suspects argued that because of the public attention that the case has gained, recording or filming in court might put their clients’ lives in danger.
A lawyer representing accused number two and four said at the heart of the case is the deputy president who is the principal of the accused.
“These are VIP protection members and in this case they were responsible for their principal, who is the deputy president,” said the lawyer.
“If the public sees them, they might be in a huge risk, because this case has gained a lot of publicity.
“If there’s anyone who has plans of harming them, they can easily do that because they saw their pictures or videos on television.”
Despite their arguments before court, the presiding judge ruled that the media will be granted permission to film the accused, however, they were told to keep masks on if they wanted to.
Mashatile’s office has since condemned the conduct of the offices.
In a statement early in July, Mashatile’s office said: “The deputy president abhors any unnecessary use of force, particularly against unarmed civilians.
“Members of the SAPS [SA Police Service] are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner.
“The deputy president fully endorses these sentiments and appeals to the public to allow the SAPS the necessary space to complete its investigation into the incident.”
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