Top advocate Gerrie Nel to challenge Chaka’s lockdown video case

The viral video allegedly showing a KDM traffic officer manhandling a young child at a Chaka’s Rock complex last Sunday has drawn a storm of public reaction.

While KwaDukuza Municipality’s internal investigation cleared the officers of any wrongdoing last Tuesday – a day after the incident went viral – KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala at the same time ordered the MEC for Safety and Local Government to urgently investigate the incident between the Salt Rock father and the KDM officers that led to a public outcry.

Simultaneously, the conservative civil rights organisation AfriForum stepped forward to represent the group legally, which include an elderly couple and a pregnant woman.

In addition, the South African Municipality Workers Union (Samwu) for the North Coast region joined in the fray this week to defend the actions of the officers, saying they had been unfairly scrutinised and prosecuted for “merely carrying out their duties”.

The video clip that captured KDM traffic officers allegedly manhandling a four-year-old child at a Chaka’s Rock complex, before arresting the father and 10 other people, went viral last Monday.

The footage shows one of the officers attempting to take the screaming child from the complex while the father tussles with them to try and get the child back.

The officers allegedly arrived at the complex to make arrests for lockdown violations.

Several families, including an elderly couple, were arrested for allegedly visiting Chaka’s Rock beach, which is prohibited under Level 4 lockdown laws.

Head of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, advocate Gerrie Nel, has volunteered to represent the 11 people arrested.

“We cannot tolerate any abuse of power, especially against children, by those government officials who are duty-bound to uphold the rule of law and protect the communities they serve,” he said.

The footage has received widespread coverage on national and international media, amid furious condemnation of the behaviour of the arresting officers.

The public have accused law enforcement of using lockdown as an opportunity to strong-arm the public.

In its investigation of the incident, the municipality claimed that the father had tried to resist arrest and refuted claims of the officers “manhandling” the child.

This finding is supported by the municipal union.

“We welcome the findings into the investigation conducted by the municipality which has absolved the officers from any wrongdoing as it found that they acted within the prescripts of the law. Samwu is fully and apologetically behind the two officers, as we believe that all they were doing was to enforce law and order.”

The union called the public reaction unfounded and misguided.

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