The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa has condemned in the strongest possible terms, the grievous assault of an elderly woman at Jane Furse, Sekhukhuni District in Limpopo after a video of the assault went viral this week.
Equally, the Minister welcomed the arrest of the five suspects who have now appeared at Nebo Magistrate Court facing charges of assault with intent to do grievously bodily harm.

Interim investigations indicate that private security guards for certain store at Jane Furse Plaza accused an old woman for stealing clothes inside the store.  It is alleged they then took her to the store room and began assaulting her several times; as a result sustained injuries to the body.  It would appear one of the suspects recorded the entire ordeal through a cellphone, in fact is heard laughing on the background.  Investigations further revealed that the incident occurred in October last year but the footage went viral this week.
“We condemn this horrible incident of assaulting a helpless, elderly woman and further commend our police officers for the arrest of the suspects.  We are confident that at the end, justice shall prevail in determining who did what and why.  Even if a suspect is arrested, the laws of our country determine that they still have their human rights as such there is no need really to begin to assault them.”

“Much as we always advocate that police must arrest any perpetrator of crime, security guards are also not immune to the adherence of basic human rights.  We therefore expect them to adhere to the code of conduct of security service providers which clearly states that, in the execution of their duties, they must act in a manner that promotes good discipline in the private security industry,” added the Minister.
The five suspects were arrested on the 11th April 2013 and appeared at Nebo Magistrate Court where two suspects were given bail of R500.00 each.  The remaining three are in police custody for bail application that will be heard on the 22nd April 2013.

Minister Mthethwa cautioned society against labelling this isolated incident as reflective of conduct of private security officers in general.  He highlighted that the ministry commenced with the review of the Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment (PSIRA) Bill last year.  This legislation seeks to address identified security threats, risk and problems regarding the regulation of the private security industry.
South Africa has the largest private security industry in the world as such an effective regulation of this industry is necessary.  Part of this amendment is aimed at eradicating the criminality within this industry.  Clearly, the ability of criminal networks to infiltrate the industry and its vulnerability to such infiltration poses a major threat to the government’s capacity to address crime.

According to PSIRA it is further estimated that between 15 000 and 20 000 new members join the private security industry each month.  However not all companies and private security guards register with PSIRA as required by law.  Many companies and security guards attempt to operate under the radar and unlawfully. 
The Minster also welcomed an announcement by the management of PSIRA, who have also launched their investigation into this incident, including probing the legitimacy of the security company involved.  The PSIRA Act makes provision for a disciplinary process, including the suspension and withdrawal of the registration of those who may be found guilty of misconduct.

For enquiries, please contact:

Zweli Mnisi, Spokesperson to the Minister of Police 082 045 4024
NATIONAL MEDIA CENTRE
Corporate Communication
South African Police Service
Office:+27 12-4006579 /6629 /6576
Fax: +27 12 - 400 7018