The Midday Report with Mandy Wiener

Guest: Edwin Cameron, Constitutional Court Judge.

The trauma of both the Covid-19 illness and death, and the securitisation and militarisation of this public health emergency, will for years be marked on bodies and communities. Justice Cameron joins to explore this…

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Guest:Dr Guy Lamb is a criminologist in the Department of Political Science at Stellenbosch University.

A major area of concern is that the oversight bodies that were created in the 1990’s in an effort to protect South Africans from abuses by the security forces are overwhelmed, understaffed or are not operating due to the lockdown. Dr Guy Lamb argues that the police's forceful and militarised approach to the policing of the pandemic will continue to have damaging consequences for our democracy as public trust in the police's commitment to their constitutional obligation to “protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic" will be further eroded.

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Guest:

The Police Department speaks about their response to the implementation of the Lockdown in the country; were they given a mammoth task? One they might have not been prepared for. Brigadier Vish Naidoo, SAPS National Spokesperson joins us..

In a briefing on 8 May to Parliament, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) reported a 32% increase in complaints against the police during the first 41 days of lockdown compared to the same period last year.

During this time, IPID received 828 complaints against police, of which 376 (45.4%) could be directly linked to lockdown operations. Of these, 280 (74.4%) were for alleged assault and 10 (2.6%) for deaths as a result of police action.

In SA supervision during joint operations is established and stipulated in every relevant instruction

Considering IPID’s track record, it’s doubtful that these complaints will lead to any serious consequences for most of the accused. Of the over 42 000 cases opened against police with IPID between 2012 and 2019, only 1% resulted in a conviction and 4% in disciplinary action.

This means that 95% of the time, police officers experienced no sanction for alleged misconduct.

The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) own records also show a marked decrease in the number of police officials facing sanction for misconduct. Over the same period, the number of disciplinary hearings held against police decreased by 66% from 5 540 to 1 888 cases. The number of dismissals as a result of misconduct dropped by 56%.

It appears that during the early weeks of lockdown some officers thought a state of disaster allowed them more powers than it does. Or did they simply believe there was little risk of being held accountable if they acted unlawfully? Why would they think this? And why do some police, during a state of disaster, act as if citizens are no longer entitled to basic rights?

This inclination to openly flout the rule of law and internal controls was also witnessed in many other parts of the world during COVID-19 lockdowns. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in April identified at least 15 countries where the rule of law was flouted by security forces, including South Africa.

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Guest: Thabiso Muvhango, Collins Khosa’s Brother in Law.

This week marks a year when South Africa imposed its first lockdown in the country. Soldiers and heavy law enforcement became the order of the day in South African streets, reminiscent of the end of apartheid days in the early 90's.

Collins Khosa died on 10 April 2020 after SANDF members confronted him and his brother-in-law after finding a glass of alcohol in his yard. The soldiers confiscated two beers from their house and an argument started after one of them slammed the gate on Khosa’s car.

Collins Khosa's family speaks to the Midday Report about the tragic day when he allegedly died at the hands of law enforcement. Thabiso Muvhango, Collins Khosa's brother in law who was also being assaulted narrates the story.

This brought to the spotlight whether human rights were trampled by state organs trying to enforce the national lockdown…

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Students take fees protest to the Union Buildings.

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Guest: Enver Samuels | Director at Murder in Paris (film)

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Guest: Graig-Lee Smith | reporter at EWN

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Guest: Doug Coltart

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Guest: Dr Messeret Shibeshii | Epidemiologist and pediatrician at WHO Africa

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Guest:  Cilliers Brink | Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs at Democratic Alliance

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