The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is investigating the fatal shooting of a man near Dutywa in the Eastern Cape after dashcam footage appeared to capture his final moments and an alleged discussion about how his death would be explained.
The man was stopped on the R408 between Dutywa and Willowvale on 28 October by police officers believed to be attached to the National Intervention Unit.
He was later found dead beside the road.
The footage shows the man co-operating with the officers before he was removed from the vehicle he had been driving. It also appears to capture one officer suggesting that they would claim the man had run away and drawn a firearm.
The alleged shooting happened in broad daylight while other vehicles were using the road.
The deceased was from Papasi village in Willowvale and was buried on Sunday, according to people familiar with the matter.
His identity had not been released publicly at the time of publication.
Footage captures roadside stop
A series of videos circulating on social media appears to show officers in a white Toyota double-cab vehicle stopping the man on the R408.
The officers can be heard speaking to him in isiXhosa and asking why he was running away.
The man replies that he is not running away.
One officer then asks him why the vehicle he is driving has a damaged windscreen.
The man responds: “The car bumped into someone in Dutywa [on 26 October]. I was not the one driving it. This is not my car.”
The officers tell him they are taking him to the Dutywa police station.
After driving for several minutes, they instruct the man to leave the vehicle and get into the police vehicle. One of the officers remains behind with the car he had been driving.
The police vehicle then drives away.
Minutes later, the man’s lifeless body is seen lying beside the R408.
The footage does not show every moment between the man entering the police vehicle and his body appearing beside the road. That gap is now central to the IPID investigation.
Alleged conversation raises questions
The dashcam recording also captures a conversation about what should happen to the vehicle left behind.
“Where must we put this car?” one officer is heard asking.
Another officer responds:
“We will say we tried to stop him, but he ran away from the car and drew a firearm to shoot at us.”
The statement has raised serious questions about whether the officers were discussing a false version of events after the man had been shot.
The authenticity, context and full meaning of the footage will form part of the investigation. IPID investigators will need to establish who the officers are, what happened after the man was placed in the police vehicle and whether any firearm was found at the scene.
They will also need to establish whether the man was armed, whether he posed any threat and whether the officers acted within the law.
No conclusion about criminal liability can be reached before the investigation is completed.
IPID confirms investigation
IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping confirmed that the watchdog was investigating the incident.
“IPID has been informed about the incident, and our investigation is under way,” Suping said.
The matter was referred to IPID because the death allegedly resulted from police action.
IPID’s mandate includes independent investigations into identified criminal offences allegedly committed by members of the South African Police Service and municipal police services.
The directorate is expected to gather the footage, secure witness statements, examine the scene and obtain the post-mortem findings.
Investigators may also compare the video with police records, vehicle logs, radio communication, firearm registers and the officers’ official reports.
The condition and location of any firearm will be important evidence if the officers claim that the man drew a weapon.
The investigation may also examine whether the man was under arrest, whether the officers followed the correct procedure and whether the body was moved or the scene altered after the shooting.
SAPS will not comment on footage
SAPS has acknowledged the footage and confirmed that the matter has been referred to IPID.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said the police would not comment further on whether the recording accurately represented what happened.
“The South African Police Service in the Eastern Cape has noted dashcam footage circulating on social media, which appears to depict a fatal shooting incident in Dutywa. This forms part of the ongoing IPID investigation.
“As is mandatory in cases of death resulting from police action, the matter has been referred to IPID for investigation. SAPS will fully cooperate with IPID,” Gantana said.
The police response means that the footage is being treated as part of an active investigation rather than as a final account of the incident.
SAPS has not confirmed the names, ranks or exact unit attachments of the officers seen in the videos.
It has also not confirmed whether any of the officers have been suspended, placed on special leave or removed from operational duties.
No arrests or criminal charges have been announced against the officers.
Family has not spoken publicly
Attempts to obtain comment from the deceased man’s family were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
People familiar with the matter said he was from Papasi village and had been buried on Sunday.
The family is now waiting for the investigation to establish what happened to him after he was stopped on the R408.
The footage has caused concern because it appears to show a calm interaction before the man is taken from the vehicle and later found dead.
It also appears to show officers discussing a possible explanation for a shooting, although the full recording and surrounding evidence still need to be assessed by investigators.
The family may seek information about the police report, the post-mortem examination and the evidence collected from the road and vehicles.
Key questions for investigators
The IPID probe will have to answer several questions about the events of 28 October.
Investigators will need to establish why the man was stopped, whether the damaged windscreen was linked to a reported collision in Dutywa and whether he was suspected of any offence.
They will need to determine whether he was formally arrested and why he was moved from the vehicle he had been driving into the police vehicle.
The sequence of events after he was taken away must also be reconstructed.
That will include determining where the police vehicle travelled, who was present, when the shooting occurred and how the man came to be lying beside the R408.
Investigators will also have to establish whether the officers reported the shooting immediately and whether their official version matches the dashcam footage.
The alleged reference to claiming that the man drew a firearm will be examined alongside any ballistic evidence and firearm records.
If a weapon was recovered, its position, fingerprints, DNA and ballistic links may help establish whether it belonged to the deceased and whether it was handled or fired.
If no weapon was found, that fact will also be relevant to the investigation.
Police action deaths require independent scrutiny
Deaths resulting from police action are referred to IPID so that the conduct of police members can be examined independently.
The referral does not automatically mean the officers will be prosecuted. It allows an independent body to investigate the circumstances and make recommendations based on the evidence.
Possible outcomes depend on what investigators establish. The matter could lead to criminal charges, disciplinary action, recommendations for further investigation or a finding that there is insufficient evidence to proceed.
The final decision will depend on the evidence collected and the direction of the National Prosecuting Authority if a criminal docket is submitted.
Until then, the officers remain legally presumed innocent of any offence that has not been proved in court.
Investigation continues
The alleged Dutywa shooting has placed the conduct of the officers under intense scrutiny, particularly because the dashcam appears to capture both the stop and a conversation about a possible account of the shooting.
IPID has confirmed that its investigation is under way, while SAPS says it will co-operate with the watchdog.
The deceased man’s family has not yet spoken publicly, and no arrests have been announced.
The footage may become important evidence, but investigators must still verify when and where it was recorded, identify everyone present and compare it with forensic and official records.
The central questions remain unanswered: why the man was stopped, whether he was armed, what happened after he entered the police vehicle and whether anyone attempted to conceal the circumstances of his death.
Those answers now rest with IPID’s investigation.