News24 reports that four warrant officers from the police's Presidential Protection Services (PPS) were handed notices of suspension on Tuesday after they were seen on video assaulting motorists on Gauteng's N1 highway.

Two more police officers involved in the incident, in which two men were dragged from their vehicle and assaulted, also face suspension. A video of the incident showsd one man lying motionless on the asphalt while his assailants are kicking him. The other man is sitting, his arms protecting his face, from the kicks also coming his way. The officers then get back into their vehicle and take off, leaving the men on the ground. The officers were part of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security detail and the convoy was said to have been driving Mashatile home. However, Mashatile, who condemned the incident, said he was not in the convoy at that time. The police officers have apparently claimed that the driver of the vehicle tagged Mashatile’s convoy for a long while before it was pushed off the road. They further claimed that the motorist tried to get close to Mashatile’s vehicle, prompting them to act. The officers, who will now face an internal probe, have been relieved from their duties pending the outcome of the investigation. DA MP and spokesperson on police Andrew Whitfield said the members involved "must be arrested immediately and justice must be served swiftly and unequivocally". The men who attacked the motorists are members of a police programme that gets more money than the Hawks, who are supposed to be investigating high-level corruption.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Gerber at News24 (subscriber access only)

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