Heroics caught on dash-cam go viral

22 January 2016 - 02:23 By Jerome Cornelius

A video of a traffic policeman being shot on a dangerous highway could have had a horrific ending but, instead, it has gone viral. The footage shows City of Cape Town traffic officer Nizaam Alexander being shot by a pedestrian after he pulled over a car.It has been viewed more than 140,000 times on YouTube.The November shooting, which occurred on the N2 highway near Cape Town International Airport, was recorded by Alexander's dashboard camera.City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the video was uploaded to raise awareness about the dangerous highway and also to identify and hopefully catch the attacker, who escaped.The stretch of highway where Alexander was shot is the same spot where an off-duty policeman was gunned down last year after pulling over with car trouble.Western Cape Transport MEC Donald Grant praised Alexander, who, he said, "calmly returned [after being shot] and finished issuing the summons for driving in the yellow line before seeking medical attention."His bulletproof vest prevented serious injury and he was back on duty soon after the incident."Smith said many officers had started using cameras to collect evidence "because road-users lie and misrepresent facts."Within the next few months we will be installing the first of R8-million worth of dashboard cameras. All [video] evidence is stored on a hard drive in the vehicle and automatically uploaded to the station."Patrol vehicles will also be fitted with technology that constantly reads number plates to identify stolen vehicles...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.