The Democratic Alliance DA has accused the South African Police Service SAPS of deliberately sabotaging the internal disciplinary process against members of Deputy President Paul Mashatile's VIP protection unit, labelling the two-year probe into their conduct a coordinated cover-up,
The explosive claims come after the DA obtained records via a Promotion of Access to Information Act PAIA request, revealing what the party describes as a complete breakdown in accountability within SAPS.
The unit made headlines in 2023 after a viral video showed its members violently assaulting civilians on the N1 highway in Johannesburg. Despite widespread public outcry and the video's confirmation as admissible evidence in court, SAPS allegedly failed to discipline the officers internally.
According to DA MP and Police Spokesperson Ian Cameron, the internal process was plagued by delays, missed deadlines and logistical excuses - including scheduling conflicts, family commitments, and a failure by SAPS to provide basic transport and accommodation for witnesses.
Instead of a swift and transparent disciplinary process, this case descended into a two-year circus of postponements, procedural chaos, and excuses, Cameron said.