It has been confirmed that the police officers who viciously assaulted a group of motorists on the N1 highway have been successfully traced.
It has been reported that the officers are responsible to transport Deputy President Paul Mashatile, however, it is not known if he was in the vehicle at the time of the attack.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said: “The process to obtain their statements continues as part of the probe. The police officers involved have also been identified and will be subjected to internal processes.
“Management of the SAPS [SA Police Service] views this as a serious [offence] and will get to the bottom of this incident.”
Mathe said a preliminary investigation indicated that the vehicles in the video belonged to the police and the perpetrators were indeed police officers.
A video making the rounds online shows the attack on what appears to be the N1 highway by the officers, some brandishing rifles.
The policemen appear to take turns kicking at the three men while they lie on the ground. One crawled for cover under the road barrier, one is seen lying on the floor, hardly moving, while the third one tried to duck the blows.
The victims of the assault did not attempt to retaliate.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola has since condemned the conduct of his members.
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