The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) will criminally charge the police officer on duty for failing to report a fatal hit-and-run incident that involved Tsakane SAPS members in Ekurhuleni.
Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said the unit cannot make arrest because the directorate does not have all the information about what happened on the scene. She said Ipid is investigating cases of culpable homicide and attempted murder.
Langa said the officer (the driver) involved has explained why he did not stop after driving over the children.
“We did not attend the scene. The SAPS failed to report the accident to us. How do you arrest a person when you did not know how the scene looked like?” she asked.
“Because our investigators did not attend the scene, it means we have to reconstruct the scene for us to have a clear picture. After that we have to collect the statement of the witnesses...
“We still have to weight to see if the reasons [of the officer] are justified. For us to arrive at a conclusion, we will be informed by the scene, injuries and witness statements.”
She said the police watchdog is going to charge the officer who was in charge on the shift.
“That person will be criminally charged for failing to report to Ipid. Incidents like this deny us the opportunity to make our own decision in terms of what could have transpired. We don’t know if people are hiding evidence,” Langa said.
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