The recent attack on a female police constable during crime prevention duties in the Kimberley CBD is strongly condemned by the provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola.
In the video that has gone viral, a man can be seen attacking the female member who was conducting her duties. Two men were arrested on the spot by other police officers who were part of the crime prevention team.
The constable sustained minor injuries and received medical attention. She is also attending counselling and debriefing sessions from the police’s Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) unit experts, said Colonel Cherelle Ehlers, police spokesperson.
The two men face charges of assault of a police official, resisting arrest, defeating the ends of justice and malicious damage to property.
Otola has strongly condemned this attack, warning that the police will not tolerate acts of violence against its members.
“No one is above the law. Those who attack our officers will face the full might of the law. An attack on police officials is a direct attack on the State,” Otola emphasised.
‘Condemning cowardly attack’
In a press release, the South African Policing Union (Sapu) in the Northern Cape expressed its outrage, stating the union is deeply disturbed by this “cowardly attack on a female police official by a male suspect, while she was executing her duties as mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa”.
This heinous act is not only an attack on the police but an attack on the State, Sapu said, emphasising it condemns in the strongest possible terms all acts of violence against police officers and law enforcement officers.
“This particular incident where a male suspect violently assaulted a female officer, exposes the worst form of weakness and brutality in our society. It is a stark reflection of a growing disregard for law enforcement and a deeply troubling display of gender-based violence wrapped in criminal contempt.”
Sapu said a man who raises his hand against a woman is weak and cowardly.
The union calls on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the courts to ensure that the two suspects involved in this assault face the full wrath of the law. These individuals must not be granted bail under any circumstances.
The law must protect the protectors. If police officers are not safe while executing their lawful duties, then no citizen can feel truly safe. – South African Policing Union
Sabata Ephraim Tshabedi, Sapu’s provincial secretary, said the union will continue to monitor the case closely and ensure that justice is not only pursued but delivered.
