Cape Town – South African police have reportedly warned the public against impersonating a police officer after a video of a man pretending to be a police officer circulated on social media.
In the video, the man who is allegedly an undocumented foreigner, is seen wearing a police cap and sitting behind the steering wheel of what appears to be a marked SAPS van.
The man can be heard laughing and talking to another man as he positions himself behind the steering wheel in the video shared on social media.
Social media users speculated that the man was probably a mechanic who had done some work on the van when the video was taken while some thought it made a mockery of the SAPS.
WATCH: An illegal Zimbabwean foreigners posing a Police Officer in @SAPoliceService van, wearing police cap. pic.twitter.com/elZLalaWII
— PSAFLIVE (@PSAFLIVE) January 3, 2023
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, unauthorised use of SAPS property and uniform was in contravention of the SAPS Act, reported TimesLIVE.
Mathe said the man committed at least three offences in terms of the SAPS Act, as he wore the emblems and official insignia of the SAPS.
“The man created a false impression that he is lawfully associated with the police service by being in a marked police vehicle and wearing the badge and emblem of the SAPS, which is protected by law,” the report quoted Mathe as saying.
Here are some reactions to the video on Twitter
That’s how they undermine our Country. We keep these bizarre things lightly.
It’s wrong, it’s wrong
— Ziggy (@Ziggy08002332) January 3, 2023
Foreigners do as they please in this country. No respect for this government, and its people.?https://t.co/UG6iwUponQ
— #RememberMarikana?? (@LiberalsAreNaiv) January 3, 2023
How did you know that his illegal. Don’t paint every person to be bad. Don’t use hate imagine on every black person who’s in SA to be undocumented.some of you guys your parents too where undocumented working in farms.
— Simonjordaana (@simonjordaana) January 3, 2023
Wait who said the guy is illegal, secondly this guy might be a mechanic and has worked on that car. The cap might have been forgotten by an SAPS member. Stop pushing a nonsense narrative
— Tlotliso Praise (@TlotlisoPraise) January 4, 2023
Whether he is a mechanic or not this does not justify this nonsense especially in a Country with the highest unemployment rate with institutions producing mechanical engineers every year!@SAPoliceService may try to spin this around!
— Mbuso P Siera (@mbuso_siera) January 5, 2023
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
