A year ago, eight police officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile's protection unit allegedly assaulted military trainees on the N1 highway in Johannesburg. Justice is yet to be served.

Tuesday, 2 July marks exactly a year since members of the VIP protection unit attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile were caught in a widely circulated 57-second video that appeared to show them punching and kicking the occupants of a car they had stopped on a Gauteng highway.

The matter has been before the Randburg Magistrates' Court since 24 July 2023. In the most recent court appearance, in May this year, when the matter was postponed to 29 July, the authenticity of video footage of the alleged assault and alcohol bottles in the victims' vehicle took centre stage.

One of the victims testified about what happened on the highway. The witness broke down in tears when the defence claimed that their vehicle had been halted because it could have endangered the Deputy President's entourage.

At the time of the incident, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said Mashatile was in the convoy, while Mashatile's spokesperson, Vukani Mde, told Daily Maverick the Deputy President was not in the cars involved in the incident.

The eight members of the VIP protection unit involved in the incident were arrested in August and later released on bail of R10,000 each. They were suspended from...