Police vehicle allegedly used as taxi
A woman witnessed an official SAPS vehicle allegedly transporting civilians to and from the Kolonnade shopping centre in the north of Pretoria. An official complaint against the SAPS has been registered.
After a woman recently witnessed an official police vehicle allegedly transporting civilians for money, an official complaint was opened by the South African Police Service.
Sylvia Schmidt explained that while shopping at the Kolonnade Shopping Centre on 27 October, she witnessed a police official transporting civilians to and from the centre.
She added that when she entered the shopping centre at around 10:00, she saw the vehicle transporting people, and it was still doing so when she left the centre at around 14:00.
Schmidt also claimed that a member of the public confronted the police officer and then yelled and cursed at the him.
Brigadier Neville Malila, provincial head of Corporate Communication for the SAPS, said that the case has been forwarded to the Evaluation department for an investigation. An official complaint against the South African Police Service has been registered.
He confirmed that the transporting of civilians in an official vehicle was prohibited.
“In terms of standing orders and instructions, official police vehicles may not be used as a taxi or to transport members of the public. Police vehicles can only be used for official purposes, therefore we will be investigating.”
Colonel KJ Taunyane, provincial commander of inspectorate complaints investigations in Gauteng, said that the Montana shopping centre fell within the policing precinct of the Sinoville police station but that the vehicle did not. “The matter has been referred to the station commander at Sinoville for the necessary investigation. A disciplinary investigation has also been registered.”
He added that due to the lack of information, the investigation would take time to conduct and that any information about the case should be reported.
