By Staff Reporter
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popocru) has welcomed the acquittal of eight members of the Presidential Protection Unit linked to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, saying they endured undue public vilification while being subjected legal processes.
The union has also hit out at Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron for publicly referring to the group as “thugs” following their acquittal by an internal disciplinary process.
Cameron said that the outcome was travesty of justice and a blow to public trust in law enforcement accountability.
The group is still facing criminal charges following them being captured on a video that showed them allegedly assaulting a driver on the N1. They were part of Mashatile’s protection unit.
“This disgraceful outcome is the direct result of a failed internal SAPS disciplinary system, obstructive union interference and complicit police leadership,” Cameron said in a statement earlier this week.
The union described his remarks as “reckless and inflammatory”, saying Popcru had been falsely accused blocking legal proceedings and of defending police brutality.
“These are not only baseless and defamatory but represent a deliberate attempt to delegitimise the role of organised labour in defending the rights of its members.
“Popcru has never, and will never, condone any form of police abuse. We consistently advocate for accountability, constitutional policing and community safety rooted in human rights.
“However, we equally reject trial by media, political opportunism and the scapegoating of officers before facts are established,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
Popcru president Thulani Ngwenya said Cameron’s comments represented a gross misuse of his parliamentary oversight role and undermined the justice system.
He said Cameron’s behaviour was reckless and unethical, especially as the officers had been cleared of wrongdoing through due process.
“Who is he to undermine proper labour processes, or question the findings of the courts? His statements are deeply disturbing, and we will not stand quietly by and allow his behaviour to go unchecked.”
He warned that Cameron’s comments had the potential to agitate communities against police officers, placing lives at risk and undermining the rule of law.
The union has called on Parliament’s Ethics Committee to investigate Cameron’s remarks and take appropriate disciplinary action.
It also wants Parliament to consider removing him from his position, saying he has demonstrated a clear inability to execute his duties with impartiality and integrity.
Cameron has said that he will write to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to seek clarity on why the officers were cleared.
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