‘Blue light assault’ symptomatic of an arrogant state

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) portfolio committee on community safety was one of many to strongly condemned the violent behaviour of South African Police Service (Saps) officers captured in a viral video on social media.

The video shows heavily armed police officers brutally assaulting three SA National Defence Force trainees along the N1 near Sandton this week.

VIP protection attack

Committee chair Bandile Masuku said there was no gainsaying that police officers should always maintain the highest standard of integrity and conduct themselves professionally.

The committee would continue to monitor the investigations into this incident closely to ensure appropriate action is taken when Saps officers are found to be on the wrong side of the law.

‘Agression at motorists’

Automobile Association (AA) chief executive Willem Groenewald said in early 2022 the AA had noted deep concerns about the so-called blue light brigades and the threat they posed to road users.

“They are aggressive towards other drivers, often pushing them off the road to ensure their convoy has easy passage – many times through heavy traffic.

“Anecdotal evidence points to members screaming at other motorists, showing their firearms to other motorists to intimidate them and generally being belligerent when on the road.

“[This] incident is another example of a unit acting above the law,” he said.

Liable for gross negligence

Groenewald said Section 58(3) of the National Road Traffic Act permits drivers of emergency vehicles, such as traffic officers and duly authorised drivers, as well as a “person appointed in terms of the South African Police Service Act who drives a vehicle in the carrying out of his or her duties” to disregard the directions of a road traffic sign.

“Any driver who drives recklessly or is careless about the safety of other users on the road should be held liable for gross negligence where they pose a threat to property or another person, whether they are driving a politician, delegate, VIP or a car fitted with a blue light, just like any other road user,” he said.

“If politicians and members of the Cabinet speak on road safety, and the need to deal effectively with the carnage on our country’s roads, they must also obey the rules and instruct their drivers to do likewise.

“When blue light brigades exceed speed limits and drive dangerously and recklessly, the message is that rules don’t apply to them and that the safety of other road users doesn’t matter to them,” Groenewald said.

Blue light assault

Institute of Race Relations head of strategic communications Hermann Pretorius said South Africans had witnessed, with minimal accountability, the tragic deaths of hundreds of individuals in police custody, as well as killings in public.

The blue light assault was symptomatic of an arrogant state which has been indulged with ever more power at the expense of individual freedom and human dignity, he said.

AfriForum community safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk this was not an isolated incident.

Bring bullies to justice

Broodryk said it was shocking the security detail assigned to Deputy President Paul Mashatile was involved in the assault.

“Their reckless behaviour and driving have also caused accidents, such as in the case of 18-year-old Thomas Ferreira, who was … knocked off his bike … in 2011.

“No one is above the law and the police should act swiftly to ensure these bullies are reminded of that,” he said.