N2 scuffle officer back at work

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - The traffic official who was placed on special leave following an altercation between himself and a civilian on the N2 returned to work last week.

The scuffle on 5 April this year was captured on video and flooded social media platforms within minutes.

The civilian, Alroy Kerspey, and his wife Mercia have since sought legal advice in light of the fact that he was allegedly unlawfully arrested and the officer in question was placed on special leave a week after the incident.

'Costing the muni money'
The Kerspeys spoke to the Knysna-Plett Herald for the first time last week since the incident took place, with Alroy explaining that he was contacted by a labour relations officer from Cape Town who was working on the case and was advised that the municipal manager has decided to put the said officer back on duty, “because the case was costing the municipality money”.

He said he is not pleased with this. “Most days the officer parks just outside my shop – I don’t know whether it is to provoke me or what – and these days my wife and I get tickets from the traffic department almost every week and I can’t help but wonder whether these two are connected.

Case dockets 'never made it to court'
"The worst part is that the investigating officer from the police only made contact with me last week even though the incident happened three months ago and the dockets for the assault, wrongful arrest and public humiliation I opened against him were never received by the court.”

Kerspey, who was initially advised by a doctor to stay at home after the altercation, said he suffered a slight stroke at the time.

On Tuesday 17 April the municipality said, “The municipal manager Kam Chetty placed the officer on special leave on 12 April. Only on completion of the investigation will the municipal manager consider any further steps.”

They added that the matter is viewed in a serious light and receiving the appropriate attention.

Probe 'at an advanced stage'
When asked about the status of the investigation, municipal spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhoudt said on Tuesday 25 April, "We have no further comment at this stage."

The municipality was contacted again last week about the status of the investigation to which they responded, "The official was placed on administrative leave while the investigation was initiated. The investigation is at an advanced stage and as it has been determined that he does not pose any threat to the investigation so he has returned to work.”

They said the officer will be performing administrative office duties until the investigation concludes.

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