Asserts the South African moderate-conservative columnist, about his country's controversial police force: "When news broke on Thursday morning that Hilton Botha, the lead
detective in the prosecution of Oscar Pistorius, was facing attempted
murder charges after firing at a minibus taxi carrying seven passengers
in 2009, many began once again to wonder about the state of the South
African police. So soon after the horrific shooting of 34 striking mine workers at
Lonmin’s Marikana mine last August by police, the Botha charges draw
attention to this question: is democratic South Africa’s police service
turning into a violent force akin to its apartheid predecessors?"
He continues his commentary: "The Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria has reported that the
number of people shot dead by police doubled in the four years to 2010.
Deaths in police custody or resulting from police action numbered 860 in
2009-2010, disturbingly higher than the period 2003-2008, when they
averaged 695 a year. The police, of course, claim they are the victims, pointing to
killings of police. This has been the narrative put forward to defend
their dubiously 'tough' stance against citizens. Yet figures for police murders have dropped since 1994, when 265
officers were killed. The figure declined to 178 in 2000. Only 92 police
officers were killed in the 12 months to March 2012. However, the
government continues to paint a picture of a police service under siege,
with [new police commissioner Bheki] Cele saying in 2011: 'A policeman should not die with his gun in
his hand.'"
Justice Malala Commentary: No End In Sight For Police Brutality In South Africa
