WATCH: Criminal charges loom for cop seen assaulting woman

The video, which has gone viral on social media on Friday, shows a police officer in uniform assaulting a woman as she was passing by.

In another video, a voice of a distressed woman pleading with the officer can be heard.

Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says the woman was attempting to get her phone back from the officer at the Tembisa South police station.

“The member involved has been identified and the provincial inspectorate, a component dealing with complaints against the police, has already instructed the district coordinator to institute a departmental disciplinary investigation against the member.

“We are calling on the victim and the witness to both come forward so we can open a criminal case against the member/s involved,” says Muridili.

The criminal case will also be sent to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) for further investigation.