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Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, has been caught lying in a statement where he said he was not present when members of his SAPS VIP Protection Unit assaulted three South Africans, with multiple reports now saying that the unit was escorting Mashatile home. 

Multiple news reports now claim that the VIP Unit assaulted the South Africans after they veered too close to the Deputy President’s vehicle, and therefore supports ActionSA’s belief the officials were influenced by Mashatile’s mafia-style leadership to respond heavy-handedly. 

Mashatile already faces a number of serious unethical conduct including living a life of luxury in expensive homes – owned by businesspeople who are alleged to have benefitted from state contracts – and the Deputy President lying about his involvement in the assault further proves that he cannot be trusted. 

As a party which believes that to fix South Africa we must restore the rule of law, ActionSA will not allow the Deputy President to get away with using brute force when South Africa has clear laws prohibiting law enforcement personnel from assaulting citizens - regardless of the circumstances. 

We maintain that South Africa is neither a gangster state nor a police state, and any police official is therefore forbidden from assaulting any member of the public – even if they are found guilty of committing a crime.

ActionSA has therefore already written to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head, Dikeledi Jennifer Ntlatseng, to investigate the SAPS VIP unit’s actions to ensure that the guilty officials are held accountable for their actions. 

We maintain that the officers should not be suspended, but that they should be arrested for the grievous crimes they committed on camera, and we call on political parties represented in Parliament to hold the Deputy President accountable for the incident. 

ActionSA will work tirelessly to ensure that this matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves and that police officers are held responsible for the brutality inflicted on ordinary South Africans. 

Issued by ActionSA President Herman Mashaba