WATCH | 'Panel beaters used police van for illegal dumping': SAPS

Panel beaters who were supposed to fix a police van used it for illegal dumping in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, police said on Wednesday.

Police confirmed that the van had been sent to a private garage to be repaired, after which video footage emerged of a man emptying litter from it.

The video was taken at Klein Olifants River on Sunday.

It showed men emptying and sweeping rubbish, mostly papers, from the back of the van. No police officers were visible in the footage.

Police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said the van was in an accident and went for repairs on September 18.

“It was a vehicle which was outsourced to a private garage for panel beating. The vehicle has been brought back to us today [Wednesday].

“When we saw this video, we investigated, and it came to light that the vehicle was outsourced and the private panel beater, the one that we outsourced to, is the one responsible what was seen in the video,” he said.

Police have opened a case of using a vehicle without the owner’s consent.