Johannesburg - Three allegedly drunk men were captured on video attacking a uniformed police officer.
The CCTV footage shows two cars abruptly stopping at a Sasol filling station in Mankweng, east of Polokwane, around 4am on Sunday.
In one car is Constable Tiselani Shikwambana, who had been travelling to his Tzaneen home with his wife.
The other car, which is believed to have pursued the officer’s car for 20km, has three occupants - believed to have been Herdus van Jaarsveld, 27, and siblings Donald and Edwin Albreent, aged 21 and 24.
Once the two cars are parked at the garage, one of the men in the vehicle pursuing Shikwambana alights from the vehicle and is seen kicking the passenger door of the policeman’s sedan.
He then walks towards the driver’s door, giving the officer’s wife a chance to flee into the store.
Suddenly, the 27-year-old officer, who is stationed at Groblersdal police station, steps out of the car with a service pistol.
With the pistol pointing to the ground, Shikwambana walks backwards as the man confronts him.
He manages to flee into the store and quickly hands the weapon to a cashier. Within a moment, two men enter the store and charge at him.
Shikwambana stands still. One of the men tries to slap him, but he ducks backwards.
The guard on duty is pushed aside when he tries to intervene.
A man then hits out at Shikwambana, but unlike in the first attempt, the officer fails to duck and is slapped around the neck.
Wrestling between the officer and the men ensues, but he manages to escape from their grip and runs around the store. But the men follow him, chasing him around the shelves.
Simultaneously, the third man is captured on video smashing the windows of the policeman’s private car with his elbow.
The two attackers inside the store keep pursuing the officer.
Shikwambana can be seen trying to kick his alleged attackers in an attempt to escape. Seeing that the door is open, the policeman bolts.
As the visibly irate men give chase, one of the bystanders tries to calm them down, but he is also slapped.
At this point, other police officers show up as one of the spectators had called for help.
Arriving as the chase continues outside, the officers arrest the three men.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the three men were drunk. He said they first pelted bottles at the officer’s car in Dalmada outside Polokwane.
Noticing that the men were “very angry”, the policeman sped off for his safety.
Mulaudzi commended Shikwambana for not discharging his pistol, even when “his life was in danger”.
On Monday, the trio of attackers appeared in the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court.
They were charged with malicious damage to property, attempted car hijacking and common assault. The State suggested that they be released on R500 bail each.
Their case was postponed to October 23 for further investigation.
However, Mulaudzi was not happy with the bail amount. “We are very disappointed with a R500 bail. Are we saying it’s all right for a policeman to be assaulted?” he asked.
The Star