POLICE'S BRUTALITY LEAD TO DEATH

Thu, 12 May 2011 16:00:17 +0100

By Bokhutso Ntsoko

The memorial service of Andries Tatane was, held yesterday, in Ficksburg. Tatane was assaulted to death, last week, during a protest march in Ficksburg. He was brutally beaten with batons, by multiple police officers, and when he attempted to fight back, he was shot at point blank range, on the chest, with rubber bullets. He died on the scene. The protest was due to lack of service delivery and police were summoned to disperse the crowds. They used teargas and rubber bullets, but some of the protesters, like Tatane would not budge, police then began pounding on them.

Six police have since been arrested for the death of Tatane. They have appeared in the Ficksburg Magistrates Court, according to a statement made by the Executive Director of the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), Fancois Buekman, two of the officers will be charged with murder and the other four with assault, on the basis of insisting Gravious Bodily Harm (GBH). Two more were arrested in Bloemfontein, on Wednesday, and their case will be postponed to Tuesday, where they’ll appear with their four co-accused for a bail hearing.

Protestors filled the courts, and streets, filled with rage at the arrested officers. Their trial has been postponed.

Now there is an uproar, especially, from political parties, that police brutality should be condemned. Many political parties, such as COPE, are holding the ANC responsible. But some are saying that such footage should not have been shown to the public. Media Monitoring Africa is concerned, mostly, with print media, and asks was there a need for them to publish a picture of Tatane’s dying moments, on the front pages of their newspapers, they want to know what the motive was, as “a picture like that is very powerful, emotive and compelling”, said the MMA.

Nonetheless, it still continues to be an emotional and painful Easter for the Tatane’s, their loss of a loved one and the drag of the officers’ prosecution. The question in everyone’s mind still remains, did General Bheki Cele take it too far by allowing police the right to shoot to kill?

Ficksburg: Police Brutality

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:03:48 +0100

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