Wednesday, 27 February 2013

South African Police, law unto themselves!


The police are supposed to keep citizens safe by detecting and preventing crime. They are supposed to be responsible for maintaining public order and leading by example.

The reality in South Africa is that they behave however they choose with a complete disregard for the actual law and human rights.

The latest humiliation of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has now gone viral.

Tuesday, 26th February: Amateur video footage shows Mido Macia, 27 year old, taxi driver from Mozambique, handcuffed to the back of a police van being dragged down the road.


Mr Macia was confronted by police because his taxi was said to be blocking traffic, in Daveytown, east of Johannesburg.

It is not clear how the situation escalated. Mr Macia began to resist them as they tried to put him into the police van. Eventually they just decided to chain him to the van and drive off to the police station.

The police allege that Mr Macia assaulted an officer and somehow took his gun off of him. This sounds and looks like absolute rubbish, especially if you watch the beginning of the video.

Mr Macia was found dead in his cell two hours later. The post mortem concluded that he died from severe head injuries and internal bleeding, which indicates that he was probably beaten under police custody (police claim that other prisoners had attacked him)

Riah Phiyega, South African Police Commissionehas confirmed that the eight police men involved in the incident have been suspended and have been disarmed. (well I should damn well hope so)

In a country that has so much to offer, so much potential it is constantly downgraded by the immense corruption and brutality of nearly every facet of its governance. 

You would think that after the Marikana Massacre, a miner`s strike in August 2012 that resulted in the death of 47 people as police open-fired on the crowd, that they would be on their best behaviour….. But I suppose that would be far too rational.

Today, I understand why people refer to policemen as pigs!

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