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Traffic
cop suspended for provocative Facebook posts
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THE CERES traffic officer whose social media
comments apparently called for violence against farmers has been suspended on
full pay by the Witzenberg municipality.
His legal adviser, Carina Papenfus, said the traffic officer had been threatened repeatedly on social media and had also received threatening phone calls after his comments came to light. “Ek het nie tyd vir jou h****t nie,” said one post. Others referred to him as “K****r”, “Korrelkop twak” and someone with “BEE pigment”. Early this month, the senior officer commented on a Facebook thread that “It looks like we must again pick up our AK47s here in the f***ing Western Cape. I am sick of farmers and the DA.” At the time, Papenfus said the posts had been misunderstood and that he was reacting to a farmer allegedly shooting a worker’s dog. Witzenburg municipal manager David Nasson confirmed the officer had been suspended on Thursday, but declined to comment further on the hearings. A chairman for the official disciplinary committee would now be appointed. The committee would then submit a report to the municipality with recommendations about what action to take against the officer. But Papenfus said the Witzenberg municipality had acted prematurely in suspending the officer, as he had not been present at the hearing. “Given the fast pace at which they are prosecuting the matter, the municipality should have given the officer an opportunity to attend the hearing,” she said. Papenfus said the officer was unable to attend the hearing as he was at a pre-scheduled medical appointment in Worcester at the time. “The process will have to run its course,” said Nasson. “We will be appointing a chairman for the disciplinary committee soon.” By Jan Cronje The Star 16/01/13 Early Edition |
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Crimes of the South African Police Service
