Details of what led to Mashatile’s VIP protectors’ assault on civilians emerge

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Details of what transpired before an attack by Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s police VIP security team on a motorist and several passengers on the N1 freeway near Sandton are now emerging.

SABC News has learnt that one of the victims is still in pain after being hit in the jaw with an assault rifle on Monday.

Members of Deputy President’s VIP protection unit were recorded assaulting a motorist and passengers on the N1 in Johannesburg, near Sandton.

The video has since gone viral on social media.

All the victims are trainees at the South African National Defence Force.

Civil society organisation Action Society is now representing the victim, Lvaughn Fisher, who was dragged from his vehicle, and assaulted by several VIP unit members.

Director for Community Safety at Action Society Ian Cameron explains what happened before the video was taken.

“He thought they were being hijacked. Suddenly there was a black SUV in front of him, another to the right of the vehicle and they were were pushing them to the side. They pointed an assault rifle at him. They stopped close to the rails on the side of the road.”

“They tried to open the driver door, they smashed the back right hand window. They then hit the victim with the butt of the rifle in his right jaw and also his ear. He lost consciousness from the force and was dragged as we saw in the video,” adds Cameron.

The video below is reporting on the story: