The man who was run over by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) members had been living with a stroke, and police allegedly assaulted him for taking too long to get out of a car.
These were claims made by the man’s nephew, who was seated at the back of the vehicle they were travelling in when police pulled them over on Friday afternoon, demanding to see the driver’s driving licence. The man’s son was driving the car. The incident happened in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.
On Monday, a video circulated on X, previously known as Twitter, in which three TMPD officials are seen holding the man’s arms, assisting him to stand up and lining him up in front of the approaching TMPD vehicle. Seconds later, the man is seen lying on the ground trying to stand up. He could be heard crying.
The post suggested that the incident was intentional. However, the municipality has since claimed it was a “freak accident” that occurred when a backup police vehicle was avoiding to ram onto a car in front of it when it arrived at the scene.
The man, from GaRankuwa, refused to be interviewed at the advice of his lawyers. However, his nephew told Sowetan that they had been travelling in their double cab bakkie when the police stopped them as their car did not have a disc. However, they were allowed to proceed after they produced relevant papers. There were five people in the car.
The nephew said moments later, they were again stopped by the same cops, who demanded to see the driver’s driving licence and instructed him and his passengers to get out of the car.
“My uncle, who was seated in the front, struggled to get out because of the stroke he suffered years ago. The stroke had affected his mobility and he couldn’t get out immediately. He was also upset that the police were stopping us for the second time, and that’s when they started assaulting him.
“He asked to go and pee, and he was handcuffed, and then the next thing a police vehicle came and drove over him while the police held him,” said the nephew who did not want to be named for fear of his his safety.
Eyewitnesses disagreed with the municipality that the incident was not intentional.
One witness said he saw the man’s son (the driver) explaining to the police that his father was sick and needed to be assisted out of the car.
“However, the police did not believe that story and started insulting and assaulting the old man. They strangled him while pushing him out of the car. When he finally got out, he asked to make a phone call but was again assaulted and handcuffed.
“Another vehicle appeared, and both the man and a policeman were hit, but the officer immediately stood up and went to their official car while the poor man was left unattended. He was crying loudly while the other police officers were assaulting the driver,” he said.
Another eyewitness claimed to have overheard police officers talking among themselves that they would tell their managers that the brakes of the backup vehicle had failed and the driver lost control.
In his statement on Tuesday, TMPD spokesperson Isaac Mahamba said two of their officials were also injured in the incident.
“On Friday, 12 January 2024, after failing to stop and interfering with the duties of the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), a suspect, and two TMPD officials, were struck by a TMPD vehicle in a freak accident that occurred in Hammanskraal. This incident was caught on camera and has since been circulating on social media,” he said.
Mahamba said the injured man and the two officers were taken to hospital immediately, where they received treatment and were discharged on the same day.
“After treatment, the perpetrator was taken to Temba police station and detained along with the driver and another passenger of the vehicle in which he had been travelling. Charges against them include failing to comply with the instructions of a traffic officer, interfering with the duties of a traffic officer, crimen injuria and resisting arrest.
“At this stage, we are in the process of assigning this case to an investigating officer internally and we will obtain official statements from the members involved. We will also report this incident to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to conduct their own investigation,” said Mahamba.
He, however, refused to take further questions on the matter when Sowetan approached him after interviewing the family and eyewitnesses.
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