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By Theolin Tembo 
2h ago
Cape Town – JP Smith lashed out at the ANC, who said the city’s subway police behave like apartheid-era police, following an incident in which subway police were caught on camera shooting a disabled man from his wheelchair.
Smith, a Mayco Fellow for Safety and Security, said city leadership had addressed the matter urgently.
The ANC caucus in Cape Town city expressed outrage on Thursday over what it called the latest example of the culture of brutality, cruelty and utter disregard for human rights.
“We are appalled by this cruelty, which reminds us of the human rights abuses by the apartheid police. We have seen other examples of this callousness on the part of the Metro Police, which is led by a person who cut his teeth in the old police force, ”said the ANC.
“Like the apartheid police, the subway police behave with impunity.”
The party said that Mayor Dan Plato and Smith must take responsibility.
“They, as well as former police officer Robbie Robberts, who heads the Metropolitan Police, must resign immediately. We also ask the Human Rights Commission to investigate this atrocity immediately. “
Smith responded Friday by stating that “there is unfortunately no amount of hypocrisy that the ANC does not engage in, equaled only by their willingness to engage in disinformation.”
“The City does not condone the behavior of the officers in the video, regardless of what context it may have been.
“It is for this reason that our Executive Director, Richard Bosman, has suspended the two Metropolitan Police officers while the full investigation is being conducted. The City confirms that its leadership has addressed the matter urgently and will continue to do so. “
He said the ANC caucus statement incorrectly lists Petrus Robberts as Metro Police Director and erroneously calls for his removal, as the Metro Police Department is headed by Chief Wayne le Roux.
“Aside from the fact that the wrong official is identified as running the Metro Police, the biggest problem is that the few incidents each year of complaints against the conduct of Traffic Police, Police or Metro officials pale in comparison. with the absolutely terrifying statistics presented by the Independent Directorate of Police Investigations (IPID) in relation to the SAPS with more than 828 incidents of police brutality, murders, rapes, assaults and other serious crimes committed by the national police service under the control of the ANC, denounced in just 40 days during part of their recent confinement, “said Smith.
“Cape Town City has an excellent disciplinary record and is quick to take action against staff members when they are accused of wrongdoing. When the facts have subsequently emerged, they have often shown a very different picture from the original prosecution or the original selective distribution of video images.
Smith then went on to criticize Police Minister Bheki Cele “who says there is no problem with the police for brutality at SAPS even after shocking statistics are presented and where disciplinary cases are often completely ignored and no action taken” .
Cape argus
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