A tense weekend confrontation at a family’s gate in Limpopo has escalated into a full-blown scandal for the South African Police Service (SAPS), after authorities confirmed the vehicle involved was an official police car assigned to a senior officer.
The incident, which was captured on video and sparked public outrage, saw a man allegedly use the vehiclefitted with blue lightsto intimidate a resident in Tshikota, Louis Trichardt. Now, the SAPS has been forced to admit that the car is part of the official fleet for senior management.
The Official Line: A Car “Borrowed” Without Permission
In a statement, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the troubling connection. “The vehicle seen with blue lights on the video is confirmed to belong to a brigadier in the SAPS, stationed in Gauteng,” Mashaba said.
He explained that the vehicle, intended strictly for official police work, was not supposed to be in the hands of the man seen in the video. “The vehicle was left by the brigadier in Limpopo, her secondary residence,” Mashaba stated. “The man seen on the video, her son, did not have permission to drive the vehicle.”
This admission confirms the core of the victim’s account and raises serious questions about the safeguarding of state property.
The Victim’s Account: Threats and Boasts of Impunity
The confrontation prompted Mpho Netshinombelo to open a case with the police. He described a harrowing encounter where the man, allegedly behind the wheel of the marked police vehicle, threatened him.
Most disturbingly, Netshinombelo claimed the man boasted that his mother’s high-ranking position within the SAPS would shield him from any consequencesa boast that now rings with unsettling irony given the official confirmation.
An Internal Probe is Launched
In response to the incident, police have opened an internal inquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to the unauthorized use of the blue-light vehicle. In a call for public assistance, they have asked the person who posted the viral video to come forward to aid the investigation.
The case highlights a recurring public grievance: the abuse of power and official resources. What began as a private argument at a gate has now become a stark symbol of perceived impunity, forcing the police service to investigate one of its own senior members and the conduct of her family.
