A video depicting one of South Africa’s top road cyclists, Nic Dlamini, being manhandled by Table Mountain National Parks rangers at Silvermine Nature Reserve, near Muizenberg, has gone viral.
Dlamini was reportedly stopped by the rangers as he was travelling at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour.
According to reports, the rangers stopped him to check whether or not he had a permit.
In the video, Dlamini can be seen being apprehended by the rangers.
Dlamini’s arm was reportedly broken in the altercation before he was bundled into the back of a van.
He has since been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
SANParks has confirmed that a cyclist suffered a broken arm, allegedly after he resisted arrest at the Silvermine Section of the Table Mountain National Park.
Meanwhile, a fellow cyclist, who posted the video of the scuffle between Dlamini and the Table Mountain National Park rangers, claims Dlamini was never aggressive nor resisted the rangers.
Donovan Le Cok, who says he has never met Dlamini before, says an altercation broke out when a group of about six rangers allegedly grabbed the handlebars of Dlamini’s bicycle, causing him to crash.
Le Cok says there was a heated discussion between Dlamini and the rangers as he was upset that he had been knocked off his bicycle.
“The sort of head ranger, the big guy in the video just laid into him, sort of twisted him around, twisted his arm around his head, you could hear his arm break in the video, at that point Nic was screaming my arm is broken, my arm is broken, and they proceeded to throw him at the back of the van. He wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t resisting, or just as a point, those rangers are notoriously aggressive, the reason I went out to the scene is I know those rangers and know that they are aggressive.”
The incident has been condemned.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says, “I picked him up and actually brought him to this hospital. He has just been booked … his arm is broken. I saw the video myself you can see how he was being abused, and quite frankly in SA under any circumstances we cannot abuse our fellow citizens that way. It’s just totally unacceptable I will be calling for a full investigation.”
Dlamini was due to compete in the Tour Down Under. His broken arm may well shatter his dream of competing in the Tour de France and the Olympics.
Independent investigation
SANParks says it will institute an independent investigation with immediate effect. Parks spokesperson, Rey Tlakuli, says no one is above the law.
“According to their statement Nic was very aggressive towards them, and they tried to calm him down and ultimately arrest him. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken arm during the arrest. And at this particular moment, SANParks is going to be instituting an immediate preliminary investigation which is going to be led by an independent law firm to determine all the facts.”
Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creecy reacts to Dlamini’s incident:
