R2K
pickets over police brutality
R2K pickets over
police brutality
“The
police are exercising crime and excessive violence against communities, and
they are getting away (with it).” This is according to organizer of the Right
to Know campaign (R2K), Vainola Makan, as the group joined about 20 other
organizations in a series of nationwide protests outside the country’s police
stations. The pickets, seeking to bring light to the scourge of police
brutality, were held in line with Human Rights Day.
Amongst
those joining R2K were the United Front and the National Union of Metalworkers
South Africa (Numsa), with regional protests held outside stations in Manenberg,
Khayelitsha, and Delft.
Makan
said it was no coincide the respective groups had chosen to protest on Human
Rights Day, a day synonymous with police brutality.
“We
see a recurrence (of police brutality) no matter which government it is,
especially on those exercising their right to protest. That is part of our new
constitution, and we are saying that we need to protect our rights, especially
to freedom of expression and expressing our grievances,” she explained.
Amongst
their demands are an end to police surveillance, and paramilitary violence,
especially during protests. The respective groups are also calling for those
found guilty of brutality within the police force, to be held accountable for
their actions.
Comparisons
have been made in recent years between the current and Apartheid police, with
regards to levels of aggression on protesters. The shocking massacre of
striking mineworkers at Marikana in 2012 has done little to better the
reputation of police forces. Comparing the incident to the 1960 Sharpeville
Massacre, Makan said there was no single point during the protest where
violence was at all warranted.
What
was most concerning to her however, was that in complaints related to public
order policing between 2002 and 2011, only a solitary case led to a conviction
of a police official.
The
R2K are also seeking to challenge the National Key Points Act, which designates
specific buildings and locations as ‘national key points’, baring certain
actions like taking photos or protesting near these sites. Amongst these is
President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.
“The police are part
of a system of secrecy, and undermining access to information. We are saying
they must do their job, which is to protect, fulfill and promote people’s
rights,” she said, adding that the act would provide police with the leeway to
abuse their authority, potentially leading to further violence on their part.
VOC (Mubeen Banderker)
