The mother of the 25-year-old man who was left passed out on the side of the N1 highway in Johannesburg, after being severely beaten by members of the police’s VIP protection unit on Thursday, said she hoped the case would not be “swept under the carpet”.
Belinda Fisher released a voice note, saying when she first saw the viral clip of the assault, she had no idea that it was her son, L’Vaughn Fisher, who she had seen lying on the road.
“I was so shocked. You know when you watch the news you can just say ‘thank you Lord that is not my child,’ not knowing it is your child lying there, who was so cruelly ripped from the car, kicked by big powerful men, who were taught to protect us but are doing this to us,” said Belinda.
L’Vaughn, who was believed to have been driving the VW Polo that was seen parked on the side of the highway, boxed in by the VIP Unit’s black BMW vehicles, on Wednesday told TimesLIVE Premium that when the incident unfolded, he thought he was being hijacked.
L’Vaughn, a 25-year old infantryman stationed in Pretoria, was on his way home when the assault took place.
“It was myself, two male friends and a female friend. We live near Kgosi Mampuru prison and were on our way there. I was not driving in the right-hand lane. In that part of the highway there were more than three lanes, and I was definitely not in the right-hand one.”
That is the direction, says Fisher, from which danger came initially.
I hope and I trust that justice will run its course and that everything will not just be covered up like we see on TV. Something happens and then tomorrow there is nothing left of the case.
— Belinda Fisher
“A car moved in on my right and a man pointed a R5 rifle at me. I was instantly fearful. I had not heard sirens and their blue lights were not on. I thought I was being hijacked,” Fisher told TimesLIVE Premium on Wednesday evening.
Commenting on the attack, Belinda said: “It is not for anybody to do this to someone else. But they could. They don’t even worry whether you are alive or what happened to you. They climb into their cars and drive away. I say thank you to the person who made the video.”
The video was captured by person travelling on that highway.
The incident went viral. Police on Thursday confirmed that the eight men implicated in the saga have been removed from their positions but clarified that they were not completely suspended.
The group is expected to be office-based pending the outcome of the police’s internal probe.
Belinda said she hoped justice would be served.
“I hope and I trust that justice will run its course and that everything will not just be covered up like we see on TV. Something happens and then tomorrow there is nothing left of the case,” she said.
“Let there be an end to what happened now and let it be an example to highly educated people in important jobs who do things like this,” she added.
She expressed how the incident had collapsed her faith in the justice system.
“How do you trust the justice people who did this to us? But I hope and pray and trust in God that everything will end well and the law will run its course,” she added.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.