Clanwilliam police have come under fire after a Cape Town influencer was filmed receiving a blue light escort to an event he hosted in the Cederberg town.
Social media personality and filmmaker Enrico Hartzenberg was filmed being escorted to the Zook R&B Slow Jams Festival at the local sports ground last Saturday, with a Cederberg Municipality law enforcement vehicle in front and a police vehicle behind him.
Hartzenberg himself was driven in what appears to be a golf cart.
IOL Media understands he was the MC at the event, sparking questions about why law enforcement resources were allegedly used to escort him to the festival.
Cederberg Municipality spokesperson Anthony Mlata confirmed that a municipal law enforcement vehicle was visible in the circulating video, but insisted the escort was not authorised.
“No such escort was authorised by the Municipality. No request for an escort of an individual to the event was received or approved by the Public Safety Department,” he said.
Mlata said the festival was classified as a low-risk event, with the municipality deploying only one law enforcement officer and one vehicle.
“Their mandate was to monitor the event and conduct routine patrols / visits to the area approximately every three (3) hours to ensure general public safety. No additional deployment was authorised for the purpose of an individual escort,” he said.
He added that the escort was not part of an official arrangement with the event organisers and had not been approved through official channels.
“No costs were budgeted or incurred by the Municipality for this specific escort,” Mlata said.
The municipality also confirmed it did not fund the festival.
Addressing concerns about preferential treatment, Mlata said: “Cederberg Municipality notes the public concern and takes it seriously. We wish to assure residents that municipal resources are meant to serve all communities equitably and without preferential treatment.”
He confirmed an internal investigation had been launched into the alleged unauthorised escort.
“Appropriate corrective action will be taken in line with municipal policies and disciplinary procedures,” he said.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais also condemned the alleged misuse of policing resources.
“The resource constraints experienced by SAPS make it essential that every available resource is used responsibly and in the best interests of public safety. The use of SAPS resources for purposes unrelated to crime prevention, law enforcement or legitimate safety-related service delivery is inappropriate and completely unacceptable,” she told the Daily Voice.
Marais said her office had engaged the SAPS provincial office, which confirmed the matter was under investigation.
“We welcome this investigation and urge SAPS to take appropriate disciplinary action against any member found to have misused these critical policing resources,” she said.
SAPS spokesperson Colonel André Traut confirmed that police members had been deployed at the Clanwilliam carnival to maintain public safety and law and order.
“The circumstances surrounding the matter are currently being investigated to establish the facts and determine whether the deployment was in line with applicable procedures,” he said.
Traut said SAPS took public concerns about the use of police personnel and resources seriously, adding that the service remained committed to accountability and responsible resource use.
IOL Media could not reach Hartzenberg for comment.