8th March, 2014
. The latest is that the two cops will be charged to court Monday
Two South African police officers who were allegedly caught on video taking part in the beating and stripping of an unarmed Nigerian on a Cape Town street have been arrested, the police watchdog said on Saturday.
The Independent Police Directorate said the officers, aged 42 and 45 years old, would appear in court on Monday on charges of assault.
On Friday, video footage showing two armed uniformed policemen and private guards punching and kicking a man on a Cape Town street went viral, prompting public outrage.
The Nigerian was named Clement Emekensha.
“The arrest would not have happened without the vigilance of the public,” said Moses Dlamini, the spokesman for the police watchdog.
He said other charges may be added.
Watch the video here:
In the video, a security guard ripped the shirt-less man’s trousers off and then a police officer repeatedly punched and kicked the man in the groin. Another officer held the man by the neck.
His underpants came off as the beating continued, before he was loaded into a police car.
Western Cape police said the guards had not yet been arrested.
South Africa’s police are frequently embroiled in allegations of brutality, yet prosecutions rarely occur.
Last year, Mozambican national Mido Macia, died after being dragged behind a moving police patrol van in a town east of Johannesburg.
Nine officers are standing trial for his killing.