SABC film footage of an incident involving the presidential motorcade, which was confiscated by VIP protection officers, has been returned to the public broadcaster – but parts of it had been deleted, writes Lee Rondganger in The Star.
Snuki Zikalala, head of news at the SABC, on Thursday said the broadcaster was in negotiations with the police to have the deleted portions of the video clip returned.
"We live in a democratic society. You can't go around doing things like that," he said.
In addition to taking the video footage, Zikalala said, the VIP officers also tore out the pages of a reporter's notebook.
The incident occurred on Saturday when members of the protection unit pulled over a motorist who had driven too close to President Kgalema Motlanthe's motorcade.
The SABC arrived shortly thereafter and was confronted by VIP protection officers.
Exact details surrounding the incident are still not clear.
National police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer on Wednesday issued a statement saying there were "factual inaccuracies" in the police's earlier reporting of the incident.
Beeld newspaper quoted a Kempton Park prosecutor as confirming that the victim, Chase William van der Walt, 23, whose car crashed into a convoy vehicle, was shot.
Police earlier denied that the motorist was shot.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.
