Action Society will send an urgent PAIA application to establish the cost of the controversial Blue Light 8’s continued delaying tactics in a 2023 N1 Highway assault, which should have been an open-and-shut process. Even though the violent members of the Deputy President’s entourage were suspended without pay for two months at the end of 2024, the disciplinary hearing is still not resolved, and the criminal case will continue in June 2025.
Action Society also thanks the Portfolio Committee on Police for its continued pressure to end the absolute power abuse in this case.
Onlookers filmed the events unfolding in July 2023 as the occupants of a Volkswagen Polo were dramatically pushed from the road by a convoy of the Deputy Minister’s Blue Light Brigade, had firearms pointed at them, and the driver was left unconscious after a grievous assault.
“This should have been a straightforward case and is an enormous waste of time and police resources at the taxpayer’s expense,” said Action Society spokesperson Juanita du Preez. “These thugs have still not had anything but a slight slap on the wrist, including an initial paid suspension – in other words, a paid vacation – and more recently, a 2-month suspension. They should be fired with immediate effect.”
The thugs were served with notices of intended suspension mere days after the assault and had the opportunity to submit written representations outlining reasons why they should not be suspended. The disciplinary hearing commenced on 18 December 2023, and since then, the group of bullies have employed a litany of excuses to delay justice being served.
Some of the challenges curbing forward motion range from concerns of the representatives even before the onset of the disciplinary hearing to reasons like ill-health, court appearances, family responsibility leave, and more used as excuses for not attending, demanding the chairperson be recused, last year’s elections, and a continuous reshuffling of representatives.
Employing new SAPU representatives in January 2025, the hearing was postponed to February, citing the ongoing criminal case in the same matter, and then to 17 to 19 March for witnesses to testify.
“Trust in the police is already very low, and cases like these, which highlight the abuse of power and manipulation of justice, do nothing to repair the image of public servants who should be protecting South Africans. We will continue to mount pressure on this case until these violent thugs are brought to justice,” concluded du Preez.
