Durban – Former National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor and Head of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, advocate Gerrie Nel, is set to take up the plight of a Ballito family whose son was ‘manhandled’ by two officers from the KwaDukuza Municipality on Sunday.
Nel declined to comment on the matter due to his involvement in the case however according to a spokesperson from Afriforum, Nel will meet with the family on Thursday afternoon and hear their side.
“Right now, we will wait for the meeting to take place before deciding on the best course of action,” the spokesperson said.
Nel is also believed to be taking up the case of at least 11 other residents who were arrested after allegedly flouting Level 4 lockdown regulations.
The matter came to light earlier this week when the video of two officers grabbing a young boy was shared on social media.
It is alleged that the family was stopped by KDM officials after they were spotted at the beach.
In the video, which has been shared thousands of times and has sparked mixed reaction from the community, the officers are seen taking the boy and his father rushes to grab him. A tussle ensues between the officers and the father and the officers let the boy’s hand go before arresting the father.
KDM spokesperson, Sipho Mkhize, said an internal investigation was conducted.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mkhize said the investigation found that the officers had not acted outside of the law.
Furthermore, the municipality claimed that the father in the video had tried to run away from officers who arrived to arrest him and others for contravening level 4 lockdown regulations.
IOL