The City of Cape Town said it is urgently investigating the circumstances of a video depicting law enforcement officers cornering a naked man outside his shack.
The shack was then torn down with the man inside.
"The actions of officers involved in this matter is being investigated with urgency, including other footage which the City has, and once the investigation has been completed, the appropriate action will be taken."
The man's name was not released.
Horrified
In the video, the man runs out of the shack, and around the area in front of the shack, and is brought to the ground. But, after scuffling, he falls and then gets up again. He manages to run back into the shack.
Meanwhile, a side of the shack is torn down.
Examination
Dwane said the City's metro police was also present.
Dwane said the man was taken for a medical examination afterwards by EFF representatives.
ANC leader in the City of Cape Town, Xolani Sotashe, said the law enforcement unit used force, with the intention to dehumanise the man.
"They just dragged him out. He was naked."
Sotashe explained that people had been living in tents for four months, but due to the cold and rain had decided to build shacks.
He said the site was not quite in Empolweni, but nearby in Ethembeni.
In a later statement, he said he knew the man's name.
Bath
He said: "He told me he was having a bath in preparation to go to work. He asked to be allowed to get dressed.
"They wouldn't listen to him and sprayed him with pepper spray on his private parts and in his eyes. He could not get their names because they did not wear name tags.
"They acted illegally because they did not have a court [order] or a warrant. This man is shattered. We condemn this inhumane and barbaric action."
In April, a court ruled that, due to the lockdown, almost 50 shacks, which had been built and then razed on council-owned land in Empolweni, could be rebuilt. Anybody else wanting to build there had to seek special permission.
Tyhalibongo confirmed the land in question belonged to the City of Cape Town, and various operations had been conducted to prevent illegal land occupation.
"After [being] removed, new attempts are made to invade again on a daily basis," he said.