Law enforcers are killing people in lockdown?

Lolo Madonsela

Since the beginning of lockdown in March, South Africa has been faced with a number of cases in which people have lost their lives allegedly at the hands of law enforcement officers (police and army personnel).
AbaQulusi had one such case when a young local man, Phakamani Kubheka from eMondlo, died allegedly at the hands of the police. His death led to the community taking to the streets to demand justice and answers regarding his death.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been inundated with complaints that relate to allegations of incidents that occurred during the State of National Disaster operation to fight Covid-19.
According to IPID, they have a total of 588 cases under investigation from March 26 to June 10 this year. Of these cases, 11 of them are cases of alleged death as a result of police action.

Also read: Family demands justice for their son

“These complaints are in various case classifications, including death as a result of police action, discharge of an official firearm by a police officer, torture and assault,” said IPID spokesperson Ndileka Cola in a statement. She confirmed that, in line with the IPID Act Regulations and Standard Operating Procedures, all cases received “were registered and allocated to the investigators for investigation and they are in various stages of the investigation process. Some of the cases are still on the court roll, set to appear in court. In some instances, IPID has been directed by court to source additional information. In some cases, IPID is awaiting feedback from various stakeholders, for example the postmortem report and ballistic reports. “One of the investigations has been completed and the outcome of the postmortem has confirmed that the death was as a result of natural causes. IPID is also experiencing serious challenges with key witnesses who do not co-operate. In some instances, it’s the family members,” said Cola.
Regarding the Collins Khosa matter, whose case sent South Africans into a frenzy, Cola said that, “IPID sent the report to both JMPD and SAPS, with negative recommendations. JMPD officials were present when the alleged assault took place and they did not prevent the assault or protect the deceased. The SAPS failed to adhere to the contingency plan, which resulted in contravention of the Covid-19 Contingency Plan. The turnaround times for the investigation process are determined by the merits of each and every case. Our investigators adhere to high ethical standards of investigation and complex matters take longer to investigate, while IPID focuses on the quality of investigations.”
Cola added that, “IPID remains committed to conduct its investigation independently and impartially as an independent investigative oversight body, and continues to discharge its duties independently, without fear or favour.”

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