JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun on Monday said that an investigation would be done following the circulation of a video on social media of a woman being restrained by the city's metro police officers.
"I have noted with concern a video circulating on social media of a woman being restrained by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer while another person, purported to be a nurse, appears to prepare to draw blood from the resident," Sun said in a statement.
"The individual had allegedly failed a breathalyser test necessitating JMPD to arrest and take her to the Douglasdale Police Station, north of Johannesburg for further processing."
Sun said the law did permit a police officer to physically restrain a person who refused to provide a blood sample for law enforcement purposes.
"The city on noting this incident has already commenced an internal investigation into the events leading up to the incident as well as to determine whether the appropriate use of force was used by law enforcement officials."
Share this human rights abuse in South Africa far and wide! This is how the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) collected a sample of blood from a young girl they imagined was driving over the limit. #MartijnVanHelvert #HumanRightsViolations #SouthAfrica #ANCGovt pic.twitter.com/r3aQjd0IFS
— Judy Craemer (@Petalmaker1) July 8, 2019
The MMC said if anyone was found guilty of any wrongdoing, they would face appropriate and swift disciplinary action.