DA Member of Parliament Nicholas Gotsell has alleged that a SAPS officer involved in a car accident in Belhar fled the scene and has yet to face criminal charges. 

The incident occurred on the Stellenbosch Arterial Road near the R300 bridge on Saturday, 6 June, and involved two vehicles, including a police vehicle. 

Footage after the incident on Saturday has been doing the rounds on social media, showing angry residents confronting a man, not wearing an official uniform, in the driver seat of the police vehicle. They accuse him of violating road laws and causing the accident. 

Western Cape SAPS spokesperson FC Van Wyk confirmed that Belhar police had opened a reckless and negligent driving case following the collision. 

“Belhar police registered a reckless and negligent driving case following an accident involving two vehicles including a police vehicle on Saturday, 2026-06-06 at about 17:30 at Stellenbosch Arterial Road, Belhar. The circumstances surrounding this accident are under investigation,” Van Wyk said. 

In a video on social media on Monday, Gotsell identified the officer as Sergeant Sonamzi and claimed he left the scene before police arrived. 

“I’ve just confirmed that he’s not been charged with fleeing the scene of an accident or reckless and negligent driving or defeating the ends of justice,” said Gotsell.

In a separate video the following day, Gotsell claim that the officer was “still missing”.  

“But now the question arises, how did he get away from that accident scene? Who helped him?”  

He also noted concerns over the impact of the SAPS vehicle involved in the crash, noting that officers are already struggling to serve in local communities due to limited resources.  

By the time of publication, the Western Cape SAPS media office had yet to respond to SmileFM’s queries regarding Gotsell’s claims.