Rustenburg - A video clip in which a man assaulted a woman inside a police station in the Eastern Cape is an old video, the provincial police said.
In the video clip that went viral last week, a man is seen doing recording through his phone inside the police station and also assaulted a woman.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the video clip was old and the incident happened in Stutterheim and not at Madeira police station.
“SAPS [SA Police Service] management has noted with concern the circulating video clip on social networks, showing a commotion inside the police station which was purported to have taken place in Madeira Police Station on Tuesday night, May 24, 2022, last week in Mthatha.
“On investigation, the said video clip was found to be an old video which emanated from an incident that took place inside a police station in Stutterheim and not Madeira police station as was alleged in the social media,” Brigadier Kinana said.
He said according to the report, the said incident occurred after four women and one man visited the police station to complain about the other’s boyfriend who had assaulted his girlfriend earlier in a tavern.
“It is further alleged that in the police station the boyfriend arrived and started recording everyone while the report was being made. As he was queried, he reacted by assaulting the girlfriend again and immediately escaped.
“However, the police arrested him later for assault. The girlfriend returned to the police to request that the case be withdrawn against the suspect at the time, but the police told her that it was not the responsibility of the police to withdraw cases. She was then referred to court where the charges were subsequently withdrawn against the suspect.”
He said SAPS management warned social media users to verify the facts of the story before posting any material that carries the potential to cause confusion, instil fear and mistrust and further damage the reputation of other people without cause.
“Negligent usage of social media may lead to a lawsuit especially where an individual has been found to have lied or wrongly accused another person in public without proven evidence,” he said.
IOL