President and Minister of Police failing on police brutality

The Democratic Alliance is shocked by the latest incident of police brutality in Lomanyaneng, North West. It has been reported that a police officer has been arrested on assault charges for grabbing a court interpreter by the neck and dragging him from the side of a police vehicle 100m down the road.

This latest incident, the latest in a string of embarrassing and unacceptable incidents which have fundamentally undermined the image of the South African Police Service, highlights the need for urgent action on police brutality by President Jacob Zuma and Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa. Yet both have failed to show leadership on this issue. The DA reiterates our call for the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry into policy brutality.

Since our request for this commission more than a week ago, there has been no action from the President.

I will today be writing to the acting Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police to ask that Minister Mthethwa and National Police Commissioner Phiyega come before the committee to provide us with a concrete action plan to deal with systemic police brutality.

The SAPS is past crisis point and the South African public must know that the President and the SAPS leadership take this matter seriously.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, March 15 2013

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