Blue light convoys cannot be scrapped, says Mbalula
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says there is no way that blue light convoys containing the protection services of high-placed politicians and ministers can be scrapped.
Mbalula made the comment while delivering the keynote address at the Black Forum South Africa lecture on Thursday night.
He was reacting to the video that has gone viral and shows members of the motorcade of Deputy President Paul Mashatile assaulting three civilians on the N1 in Fourways over the past weekend.
The video has caused an outcry across the country, with various organizations offering their assistance for criminal and civil cases against members of the Presidential Protection Unit.
READ: Mashatile confirms ‘blue light bullies’ attached to him
To date, police have removed eight officers from their posts while they have been informed of the intention to suspend them.
“The police cannot brutally act like that within the state, I am happy that today those police have been suspended and they must account and that IPID will investigate and make a determination,” said Mbalula.
He added that the blue light convoys cannot be scrapped due to safety reasons.
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“Nobody was engaging in trying to understand the role of VIP protection and everybody says that must be done away with, is not important and then we are compared to other countries where there is no crime.
“You cannot compare a developing nation with a developed country like Finland. There is no crime there.”
