Alleged law enforcement coverup and complicity revealed in deadly street racing events
The recent deadly crash during an illegal street race along Steve Biko Road in Gezina, Pretoria, has not only exposed an alleged South African Police Service (SAPS) cover-up to protect those involved, but law enforcement’s possible complicity in organising and overseeing the weekly events. AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit represents Frieda Bezuidenhout, whose son, Phillip, was a passenger in a Honda Ballade involved in a drag race on 3 May. Phillip died after the car collided with an uninvolved motorist’s Renault before crashing into a pole. The Honda driver, Willie Momberg, as well the driver of the Renault, survived. Bezuidenhout’s family was informed that the SAPS are pursuing a culpable homicide case against the driver of the Renault.
That section of road has been used for illegal street racing for decades and has seen numerous deadly crashes, yet the activity has continued unabated. The information and evidence the Private Prosecution Unit has now provided to the SAPS could explain how the active involvement of some law enforcement officers may have contributed to this thriving and deadly subculture of fast cars and high-powered engines.
Video footage showing a maroon Honda Ballade colliding at high speed with a white Renault has been widely shared on social media. New footage that has emerged shows a person –whose identity is known – assaulting the injured Renault driver in front of SAPS officers who were, inexplicably, on the scene within seconds of the crash. It is alleged that some SAPS officers may have been part of a network of people involved in illegal racing and the organisation of these events. Several of the regular participants who appear to be publicly associated with some of the SAPS officers, openly brag about their conduct on social media, and even invite others to join by providing the dates, times and locations of the races.
In a letter to the SAPS, Adv. Gerrie Nel, head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, says the race participants show no fear of the authorities clamping down on their illegal racing. “The failure of law enforcement to prevent the practice of holding road races on a public street, while other vehicles still have access to that street, is not only reprehensible, but may also support an argument that law enforcement was complicit in the reckless lawlessness that has yet again claimed a life. Members of the public must be able to use public roads at any time of day without fear that racing vehicles will endanger their safety,” says Nel.
Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the Private Prosecution Unit, says the fact that hundreds of spectators gather every Sunday to witness these illegal races creates the inescapable conclusion that law enforcement is involved or at least turning a blind eye to it. “This street race on this specific road was not a once-off or exceptional occurrence, but rather part of a well-established and organised practice of Sunday road races allowed and even supported by members of the SAPS.
“The information and evidence we have gathered reveals a well-documented – and even arrogant – display of lawlessness on public roads by a group of people linked through a street-racing subculture that is thriving in the north of Pretoria. The social media accounts of several participants provide evidence of not only their races on Steve Biko Road, but also general reckless and dangerous driving on public streets in their high-powered vehicles. Considering the speed and efficiency with which the SAPS recently secured social media evidence in a well-publicised case against a politician, the public must expect the same urgency in securing evidence where the conduct in question could kill or maim innocent motorists and pedestrians. Failure to do so will surely confirm suspicions of police involvement or a cover-up,” says Bateman.
