Nicholas Dlamini: Chris Froome joins condemnation of ‘appalling’ incident as South African cyclist suffers broken arm

Video circulated of the NTT Pro Cycling rider being aggressively handled by authorities

Chris Froome has criticised the treatment of South African cyclist Nicholas Dlamini after the 24-year-old suffered a broken arm while being apprehended by rangers at Table Mountain National Park on Friday morning.

Video circulated on social media showed Dlamini being aggressively manhandled and thrown into the back of a car while putting up little resistance.

The authority in charge of the national park claimed Dlamini had ridden into a restricted area without payment, and that the situation “spiralled” when he “resisted arrest”, causing his injury.

A statement from Table Mountain National Park and SANParks read: “A cyclist suffered a broken arm after he resisted arrest at the Silvermine section of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). According to TMNP Section Ranger, the cycling had entered Gate 1 of the Silvermine Section without paying the Conservation fee now showing proof of activity permits when requested.

“Table Mountain National Park rangers were informed about the incident and upon investigating and finding the cycling who couldn’t not produce his entry ticket or a valid activity permit, the situation spiralled causing the suspect to injure himself during the ordeal.”

But five-time Tour de France champion Froome was among a number of cyclists to respond, tweeting: “Apparently @nich_dlamini​ “injured himself”. Appalling @TableMountainNP.”

Dlamini’s fellow South Africa rider Daryl Impey tweeted: “Nic didnt deserve this. What a shame @SANParks. You should be very ashamed of yourselves.”

His team NTT Pro Cycling, who include Mark Cavendish among their roster, said in a statement: “There can be no justification for the level of violence meted out to [Dlamini].

“We also call on SANParks to:

• Implement immediate disciplinary procedures against the officials involved.
• A full public apology to both Nicholas, as well as the eyewitness, who was clearly intimidated by the officials while filming this incident.
• Following the enormous response to this incident, it’s clear that SANParks need to engage with the greater cycling community in Cape Town to forge a positive relationship for the future. We look forward to seeing them take the lead in this respect.”

Team Principal Doug Ryder said: “I was both devastated and appalled to see the video of Nicholas on social media. To watch a young man who I know so well in such unnecessary distress made me feel sick, to be honest. The way in which he was treated is simply not acceptable.”

Dlamini rode his first Grand Tour last year, finishing 107th at the Vuelta a Espana and has hopes of qualifying for next summer’s Olympic road race in Tokyo.

SANParks has said it is further investigating the incident.