Popcru calls for Ian Cameron's removal over police 'thugs' comments

A HEATED dispute has erupted at the highest levels of South Africa's policing oversight structures, with the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) calling for the removal of Ian Cameron as Chair of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police - a demand Cameron has firmly rejected, stating he “will not sell [his] soul or lose [his] integrity”.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

The controversy stems from Cameron's recent comments on social media, in which he referred to eight members of the SAPS VIP Protection Unit as “thugs” - despite their acquittal in an internal disciplinary hearing. The officers, who serve in the security detail of Deputy President Paul Mashatile, were filmed in 2023 brutally assaulting civilians on Johannesburg's N1 highway. The footage caused national outrage and drew widespread condemnation.

Their subsequent acquittal by SAPS internal processes triggered renewed debate about police accountability and provoked Cameron's pointed response, which has now landed him at the centre of a political firestorm.

Popcru has accused Cameron of defamation, overreach, and inciting public hostility toward police officers. In a strongly worded statement, Popcru President Thulani Ngwenya described the remarks as “reckless and unethical”, adding that Cameron had “undermined the justice system” and should be removed from his post.