Watch: Cape Town cops suspended after tipping man from wheelchair
Two Metropolitan Police Officers have been suspended from their duties in Cape Town this afternoon after they were filmed ‘allegedly assaulting’ a man in a wheelchair. The ugly incident took place at the Central Police Station in the Mother City.
Wheelchair user ‘roughed-up by cops’ in Cape Town
In the scarcely-believable footage shared online, an argument breaks out between the wheelchair-bound male and two law enforcement officials. Any chance of a civil solution to the issue disappears instantly. Tempers get frayed early doors, and tensions eventually reach boiling point.
Zwelenkosi Ngidi, named as the disabled party in the video, is limited by one officer pressing his foot against the wheelchair. A second officer then approaches him, and in a rough attempt to turn the victim away, Ngidi is thrown to the floor. He receives no help in getting back into his chair – and the civilian was left to struggle on his own.
Watch police officers push a man from his wheelchair here:
- The video was initially shared on Facebook by Mbulelo Dwane, an EFF Councillor in the City of Cape Town
- Ludidi Velani, a freelance reporter, also shared an alternative angle of the incident to Twitter:
This is unacceptable from the Metro Police. This is not the way to treat people 😡😡 pic.twitter.com/9XolQpAzyd
— Veve (@LudidiVelani) November 19, 2020
‘Not what we expect’: Cape Town police officers suspended
Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato has since reacted to the controversy, and he expressed his bitter disappointment in the way the police officers handled this situation. He confirmed that both cops are under investigation, and will now serve a period of suspension. Plato also offered his ‘unreserved apologies’ to Ngidi:
“Following a video that was shared on social media this morning regarding a male in a wheelchair, I immediately discussed the matter with the City’s Safety and Security Executive Director, Richard Bosman, who confirmed that both officers have been suspended with immediate effect pending the outcome of a full investigation.”
“I want to apologise unreservedly to the member of the public, for what he experienced this morning. The manner in which this situation was handled is not what we expect from our staff.”
Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato