The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) confirmed on Friday that a probe is under way after a group of soldiers were seen attacking a man.
A video of the incident has since gone viral.
"The SANDF has noted the video circulating on various social media platforms showing a group of people dressed in recognisable SANDF combat dress manhandling an unknown person at an undisclosed location," SANDF communications head Siphiwe Dlamini said.
He said the SANDF is gathering information related to the incident in order to establish the facts surrounding the matter.
In the short clip, a group of around six to eight men, dressed in army uniform, are seen assaulting a man lying on the ground. The men are taking turns kicking the man.
Soldiers seen attacking a suspected car thief. It is believed the SANDF member tracked his vehicle and found the suspect removing the tracking device. @SANDF_ZA pic.twitter.com/hnOLLsOkHX
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) October 12, 2023
It is alleged that the assaulted man had removed the tracking device from a vehicle belonging to one of the soldiers, and he managed to track down his vehicle.
Meanwhile, social media users have defended the soldiers’ actions.
Earlier this week, IOL reported that a motorist was praised after he rammed into a gun-wielding man at the side of a Cape highway.
In a 28-second video dated October 4, 2023, the attacker can be seen running up to the motorist with a firearm in hand, and he points it at the driver. The man rams into him and continues driving.
The video comes just weeks after a Bluff woman rammed over a suspect accused of stealing her handbag only moments before. Sandy-Lee Ward was accosted by two men while exiting a shopping centre. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras.
Moments later, another CCTV camera angle shows her mowing over the man. He has since been arrested.
Ward has not been charged.
IOL