Panelbeater's spelling gaffe leaves Joburg metro 'poice' red-faced

There’s an image of a Johannesburg metro police department vehicle with an embarrassing spelling error across its doors doing the rounds on Twitter. 

Instead of the word "police" written in big, blue letters on the vehicle, it reads "poice".

While some dismissed the image as having been doctored, Johannesburg metro police chief David Tembe confirmed that it was authentic.

“An error was made when the patrol car went to a panelbeater for repairs,” Tembe said in a response on Twitter.

“The car was sent back for the mistake to be rectified,” he added.

But with South Africans' sense of humour, the bungle took on a life of its own on the social media platform.

“Isn't that Poice like in Zulu,” asked one person. No, the spelling for police in IsiZulu is actually "amaphoyisa".

Others suggested where the misplaced "L" might have ended up.

“Maybe the L is stuck on back for learner driver,” quipped one observer.

“When you open the door you will see the L,” wrote another.