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Video of ‘drunk’ Northern Cape cop goes viral

Staff Reporter|Published

An on-duty police officer filmed while seemingly drunk and struggling to stand up. Picture: X / @Abrambjee

By Simon Majadibodu

A VIDEO purporting to show a Northern Cape police constable staggering and falling on the roadside, seemingly drunk, has gone viral on social media.

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Mashay Gamieldien said on Tuesday that an on-duty constable attached to the Mothibistad police station was apprehended by his colleagues on the weekend for allegedly driving a state vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

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In a viral video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by anti-crime activist Yusuf Abrambjee, a police officer in full uniform was recorded stumbling on the road and having difficulty maintaining his balance.

His colleague is seen attempting to assist him in standing, but he ends up falling down, eliciting laughter from community members.

One of the community members can be heard exclaiming: “Heeee bonang”, which translates “Come see this”.

Another voice from the community can be heard saying, “Etsa video”, which means “Take a video”.

In the video, the police officer appears to have been struggling to stand for some time. A community member says she activated her car's hazard lights to urge them to move off the road, only to discover that it was a “drunk” police officer.

Another resident loudly proclaims that police officers resort to drinking beer when they endure problems at home.

By 1pm on Tuesday, the video had been viewed over 343,000 times.

Brigadier Gamieldien confirmed that the police constable was on duty at the time and was arrested for allegedly driving a State vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

“The member has already appeared before the Mothibistad Magistrate’s Court on a charge of drunken driving, negligent and reckless driving and for utilising a state vehicle without the owner's consent,” said Gamieldien.

He added that the police constable has been released on bail.

Meanwhile, the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, has welcomed the arrest of the constable and condemned the incident.

She said internal departmental procedures are under way in line with SAPS 2016 disciplinary regulations.

“Police officers are meant to lead by example. We do not expect the behaviour that has been depicted on a video from any of our members. We will ensure a thorough internal process is conducted into the behaviour of this police officer. We do not condone and will not allow such behaviour in our ranks,” said Lieutenant-General Otola.