The incident captured on a cellphone video.
A viral video from Chatsworth has once again exposed the fault lines between law enforcement and the public. We need to talk about what it really shows, writes Sanjith Hannuman.
THE video that circulated last weekend – showing a heated confrontation between a motorist and two female Durban Metro Police officers in Chatsworth – has done exactly what viral clips tend to do: divide us. The Durban Metro Police Service noted that the clip "does not show the entirety of the situation", and that the motorist had allegedly become aggressive while being issued a parking fine. The truth sits somewhere in the messy middle.
The motorist was parked illegally at the entrance of Take n Pay and Bangladesh Market. He allegedly became aggressive, tried to insert himself between the officer and his vehicle, and began filming. One officer grabbed the phone. Pushing followed. What happened before the recording started – and after – we largely do not know.
What we do know is: two female officers, lawfully performing their duties, found themselves in a physical altercation with a member of the public who did not want to accept the consequences of breaking the law.
