A video depicting what is believed to be a Murraysburg policeman helping scavengers raid a truck which ran off the road near Beaufort West in the Western Cape, has been circulated on Facebook.
The shocking footage, captured on September 4, shows people running towards the truck and taking as much as they could carry, even throwing boxes over a fence to others waiting by the roadside.
A man wearing a police high-visibility jacket is seen helping people hold open the sails covering the sides of the truck as they offload the cargo.
At one point the camera pans to the roadside, showing traffic officials who were making no attempt to stop the thieves.
The vehicle is believed to have been carrying various foodstuffs when the driver lost control and veered off the road.
According to the post on Facebook, Beaufort West traffic officials told bystanders that by the time they usually arrived on scenes such as this it would be too late to stop the multitudes of people offloading valuable cargo.
Allegedly, the official was then heard speaking on the phone, telling more people to come and load some for themselves.
