Hon Speaker, two members of the House raised concerns about the recent incidents of police brutality in Gauteng. On 1 March, on behalf of the Ministry of Police, we issued a statement condemning the killing of Mr Mido Macia. We also offered condolences to the family. We tasked the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Ipid, which ensures independent oversight over the South African Police Service, to act speedily and thoroughly to ensure that those implicated in this act are dealt with or punished accordingly.
We want to reiterate that all police officers have a duty to fight crime and protect the citizens. We view this incident in a serious light and would like strong action to be taken against those involved. What has happened since then is that all eight of those police officers who were involved have been arrested and disarmed.
The station commander has been changed from Daveyton Police Station so that we can bring in another station commander who can bring leadership in that community, and also to avoid interference with the investigation. We are appealing to the members of the public to assist the Independent Police Investigative Directorate with any information that would assist in the prosecution of those involved. In particular, we are appealing to those who have video footage that would assist in the prosecution and conviction in this case to bring it forward.
We would also like to state that the claims by the DA that we spent R64 billion towards police brutality is not correct. The majority of our police, men and women, act according to the Constitution. We can't condemn the whole police force because of the rotten apples such as those who were involved in the police brutality in Daveyton. Thank you. [Applause.]