It's been more than three weeks since members of Deputy President Paul Mashatile's VIP protection unit were captured on video punching and kicking the four occupants of a car. While the officers' bail application continues, questions remain over Mashatile's whereabouts during the incident.

On Wednesday, the eight VIP protection unit members from Deputy President Paul Mashatile's security team who are accused of assaulting four men on a Joburg highway appeared in the Randburg Magistrates' Court for the second time this week to continue their bail applications.

The accused have argued that none of the four victims has positively identified them and magistrate Hlengiwe Mkhabisi expressed concern that the complainants had not identified the roles of the accused, indicating that an identification parade had not been conducted.

On Wednesday, Mkhabisi said that when the accused return on Thursday, 27 July, the matter of identifying who is who in the video will be dealt with first. This means the accused will have to take off the masks they've been wearing throughout the hearings, although members of the news media will not be allowed in the courtroom at the time.

The eight SAPS members were part of the security team that allegedly forced a Polo Vivo off a Joburg highway on 2 July and then smashed the back windscreen of the car before assaulting the occupants, four military trainees.

The eight accused are Shadrack Molekatlane Kojana, Johannes Matome Mampuru, Posmo Joseph Mofokeng, Harmans Madumetja Ramokhonami, Phineas...