Forty-five protesters arrested for public violence in Ficksburg were released on a warning by the local magistrate's court on Thursday, Free State police said. Spokesman Captain Phumelelo Dlamini said they were warned to appear in court again on May 24. They were arrested in Meqheleng and Ficksburg during service delivery protests on Wednesday. A protester Andries Tatane, 33, was killed when he was assaulted and shot with rubber bullets, allegedly by police officers.
Political parties, unions and the general public criticised the police after the beating was shown on SABC television. On Thursday, two municipal buildings were set alight as protesters continued to show their dissatisfaction. Roads were blocked with stones and bricks, tyres were set alight and another person was arrested.
Dlamini said no arrests had been made yet in connection with Tatane's murder. The case was being handled by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD). ICD members arrived in Ficksburg on Wednesday and Thursday. Dlamini said police would stay on alert in the town overnight. A police helicopter was also being used.
Meanwhile, the killing of a man during the protest — allegedly at the hands of the police — was widely condemned by political parties, trade unions and civil society on Thursday. "This is really bad for the province and the country and we call for a thorough investigation on this matter and anyone who is found to have misused his powers… must face the might of the law," Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) Free State secretary Sam Mashinini said. The union federation was "shocked and disgusted" by the death.
The Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania said: "We have said it before: that militarising the police will not yield any good results in fighting crime, but will only result in the police unleashing brutal force against the poor," secretary-general Lucky Khoza said.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA said the assault was a reminder of apartheid hit squads that used to "kill and torture our people in townships". "We are really worried that our country is gradually degenerating into a police state where the police are a law unto themselves," regional secretary Andile Zitho said.
The Democratic Alliance said footage of the killing, broadcast on SABC news, showed the ANC government was willing to use apartheid-era policing tactics to clamp down on service delivery protests. "It's a deplorable and desperate act that shows just how badly this administration has lost its way," MP Wilmot James said. "It is also completely unacceptable that the ANC government has now attempted to censor the broadcast of this story by writing to the Independent Communications Authority of SA."
Media Monitoring Africa welcomed the decision by the SABC to give prominence and attention to the crime, but was concerned about discrepancies in how the story was reported. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union called on police commissioner General Bheki Cele to ensure those responsible for the crime were charged. "This reckless conduct by the police is nothing new and the unions have experienced it first-hand," spokesman Sizwe Pamla said.
African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said the police behaved like a "pack of hyenas". According to the SA Municipal Workers' Union the incident was a reflection of the current state of South Africa's democracy. Spokesman Tahir Sema said the government needed to "rein in" the out-of-control forces and engage with them on how service delivery issues could best be resolved.
The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation said it raised important concerns about the standard of police training and the overall standard of leadership within the SA Police Service. "The use of force needs to be recognised for what it is… and appropriate steps taken to ensure that members are able to uphold the appropriate standards for using force," it said in a statement. SAPA
CSVR is a multi-disciplinary institute that seeks to understand and prevent violence, heal its effects and build sustainable peace at the community, national and regional levels.
