The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has called for disciplinary action against a police officer who was seen in a viral video driving a marked SAPS vehicle without a driver’s door.
The video, which went viral on TikTok recorded on Sunday, 1 June in the Durban North policing precinct shows a police vehicle being driven without a driver’s door—an image that has sparked public concern and criticism.
According to police reports, the vehicle had earlier been involved in a collision with a minibus taxi. At the time of the crash, the driver was a female Warrant Officer, who became trapped in the vehicle. Emergency responders had to remove the door to free her from the wreckage.
Although the vehicle remained in a drivable condition after the door was removed, standard procedure requires it to be towed back to the station due to safety concerns. However, another Warrant Officer drove the doorless vehicle back to the station, accompanied by an escort vehicle with blue lights—a detail not visible in the viral clip.
Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi condemned the decision, saying it placed the officer’s life at risk and brought the image of the South African Police Service (SAPS) into disrepute.
“We are working so hard to protect the image of the police in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and to regain public trust. The management of police in KwaZulu-Natal will not allow anyone to tarnish that image by disregarding regulations and procedures,” he said.
He confirmed that disciplinary steps will be taken not only against the officer who drove the vehicle, but also against any official who gave or supported the instruction for the vehicle to be driven in such an unroadworthy and unsafe condition.
“We shall never allow anyone to undo the positive impact that police have been making to create a safe and secure environment for all the people in the province of KwaZulu-Natal,” Mkhwanazi added.
