By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) has condemned the incident involving VIP protection unit members, who assaulted of members of the military on the N1 and called Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to investigate this incident as a matter of urgency.
Four VIP Protection Unit officers have been served with letters of suspension shortly after footage emerged of a group of heavily-armed men dragging and repeatedly kicking three people.
The incident is said to have happened on the N1 in Johannesburg at the weekend.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said on Wednesday that the officers will be given an opportunity to defend themselves before a final decision is made.
“They must provide representations as to why they should not be suspended under the circumstances. Their representations will be considered, and the outcome will be communicated to them”.
“As management, we do not condone such behaviour regardless of the circumstances and no amount of provocation can lead to such behaviour and we are moving with speed to address this unacceptable behaviour”.
Speaking at a briefing on the outcomes of the ANC national working committee meeting on Wednesday, the party’s secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the incident is a blight on the whole police service.
“The ANC was extremely alarmed by the news of the road rage incident involving members of the SAPS assigned to protect the Deputy President. This was not only cowardly but runs against what SAPS stands for, which is to protect all members of society.
“We urge IPID to investigate this incident as a matter of urgency.”
Mbalula also said the NWC welcomed the public protector’s report into the Phala Phala saga.
Last week, the acting public protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in her final report into the theft of millions worth of foreign currency at his private farm in 2020.
“The ANC welcomes the Public Protector report, which found nothing untoward in the conduct of the president, including the fact that there was no evidence of paid work outside his duties as President of the Republic”.
“The ANC reiterates its alarm at the attacks on the integrity of the Office of the Public Protector, merely because some disagree with the report by the acting PP. We view such attacks as undermining our democracy and constitutionalism.”
Mbalula further said the ANC would continue to support affirmative action and employment equity, but “not as job reservations tactics which was notoriously applied by the apartheid regime”.
“You must understand that to us, as the ANC, blacks mean Coloureds, Indians and Africans. To others it might mean something [else],” he said.
“Therefore, the settlement agreement was aimed at debunking the myth that the Employment Equity was unconstitutional or a violation of the Discrimination (employment and occupation) Convention number 111 of 1958.
The NWC further reiterates that these regulations are up for public consultations and call on all our people and our structures to participate in these public hearings as we strive for a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society, which is informed by our class analysis and not racial balkanisation of society,” Mbalula added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the amended Employment Equity Act in April this year, however, Employment And Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi later published new regulations which proposed five-year sectoral targets.
The act empowers the Department of Labour to set new transformation targets for industries, including regional ones.
Mbalula also revealed that information about the country’s potential national blackout came from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States (US).
He said the US government had not interacted with the South Africa’s intelligence services regarding the matter.
“We had massive propaganda and lies that were peddled that we are facing a grid collapse. It was rumoured to be coming from very reliable sources and intelligence from America.”
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