The African National Congress (ANC) has said that Deputy President Paul Mashatile should not be held accountable for the actions of his protectors.
On Monday, one of Mashatile’s bodyguards revealed in court that the Deputy President was in the convoy when two motorists were assaulted. Mashatile’s spokesperson at the time of the incident said that the Deputy President was not in the convoy. There were nine cars in the convoy.
Eight VIP protection officers stand accused of assaulting the motorists on the N1 highway earlier in July.
Fielding questions about the incident on Tuesday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said that while Mashatile had been in the convoy at the time of the incident, he could not have known what transpired when the assault occurred.
‘He was in the convoy. So where does step aside come in there? There is no step aside there. What we said, as the ANC, is that this matter must be investigated by Ipid. It’s been investigated. That has been undertaken.’
The accused have also blamed the media and civil society for their arrests.