Excerpt: Liberty Fighters Network (LFN) has slammed the Pretoria Equality Court for dragging its feet for over two years on our landmark complaint against VIP protection. While the court stalls, the so-called “blue-light brigades” continue to harass citizens, abuse their power, and shield politicians at the expense of public safety.
Read the full court referral… here
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Introduction
South Africans know the sight all too well: flashing blue lights in the rear-view mirror, convoys speeding past, motorists shoved off the road, and officers who act like bullies instead of protectors. For ordinary citizens, these VIP protection units have become a daily nuisance — and in many cases, a real danger.
In July 2023, Liberty Fighters Network filed a formal complaint in the Equality Court, demanding an end to this discriminatory system that protects the powerful while leaving the people unprotected. But two years later, our case has still not been heard, thanks to an incompetent — and possibly intentional — delay by the court itself.
A case ignored for two years
On 13 July 2023, LFN filed our Equality Court complaint against the President, the Minister of Police, and the National Police Commissioner. We argued that VIP-only protection is not only unfair — it is unconstitutional, because all South Africans are supposed to enjoy equal protection under the law.
Yet instead of acting, the court’s administration simply sat on the case. Orders from senior judges to serve the papers were ignored. By August 2025, we had to call it what it was: a total dereliction of duty.
If an ordinary citizen ignored court orders for two years, they would be jailed for contempt. But when the courts themselves are at fault, nothing happens. This is not just incompetence — it is proof that the administration of justice in South Africa has been compromised.
VIP convoys: harassment on wheels
While the case stalled, the VIP brigades carried on unhindered. South Africans have long complained of being forced off the road and treated like criminals by these convoys. In 2023, the nation watched in outrage as soldiers travelling in a private car were assaulted by VIP officers assigned to the Deputy President. The video went viral. If trained soldiers could be humiliated and beaten in public, what chance does an ordinary motorist have?
These convoys are not about safety — they are about privilege. They drain police resources away from communities, leaving neighbourhoods vulnerable to crime, while ensuring that politicians travel in luxury with sirens, escorts, and armed guards. Many of these so-called “VIPs” are the very people ordinary South Africans believe should be answering for corruption, not receiving elite protection.
Equality means protection for all
LFN’s position is simple: either every South African deserves the same protection, or no one does. There cannot be “first-class citizens” with convoys and “second-class citizens” left to fend for themselves.
The Equality Court was created to protect ordinary people from discrimination. By delaying this case for two years, it has failed the very people it was designed to serve.
Conclusion
LFN will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. Now that the State Attorney has finally confirmed opposition, we will push for the case to be heard. This is not only about ending VIP convoys — it is about restoring equality before the law, dignity for the people, and accountability in a justice system that has grown careless and compromised.
Call to Action
This fight is for every South African who has been bullied by blue lights, every community abandoned by overstretched police, and every citizen who believes in equality.
- Share this story so more people know the truth about VIP protection.
- Support LFN’s work — public interest litigation costs time and money, but we refuse to let elites get away with privilege while the people suffer.
- Tell us your stories of blue-light harassment. Your voice strengthens the case for change.
Together, we can put an end to VIP privilege and remind those in power: no one is above the law, and no South African is less equal than another.
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