Members of the media are invited to attend the continuation of the criminal trial against eight members of the South African Police Service’s VIP Protection Unit, widely known as the #BlueLightMafia, in the Randburg Magistrates Court from 23 to 27 March 2026.
This follows a significant court ruling in which the accused’s Section 174 application was largely dismissed, allowing the core of the State’s case to proceed.
The court ruled that the accused must still answer to multiple serious charges, including:
- Malicious damage to property (Count 7) against all eight accused
- Assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (Counts 8 to 10) against all eight accused
In addition, several accused must still answer to charges of reckless and negligent driving, while firearm-related charges remain against three of the accused.
The court did, however, dismiss:
- Certain pointing of a firearm charges against some of the accused
- Two reckless driving charges against specific individuals
- Count 11 (defeating the ends of justice) against all accused
Despite these partial dismissals, the ruling confirms that the central allegations of violent assault remain before court.
The trial week comes just days before a stark milestone. On 28 March 2026, it will be 1 000 days since the brutal attack on a Johannesburg highway on 3 July 2023, when members of a VIP Protection Unit convoy violently assaulted civilians in an incident that was captured on video and widely circulated across the country.
Action Society has monitored the case from the outset and will be present in court throughout the week.
“This ruling is important because it confirms that the most serious charges, including assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, will now be tested in court,” says Juanita du Preez, national spokesperson for Action Society.
“The public saw what happened on that highway. Nearly three years later, South Africans are still waiting for accountability. This trial is about whether justice will finally follow.”
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