Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen has warned that abuses by the security forces in maintaining South Africa’s lockdown risk creating another set of crises.
Since the lockdown came into effect on Friday morning, there have been numerous accounts – sometimes backed by video footage – of police and military personnel misbehaving towards residents. A 40-year-old man was shot and killed in Vosloorus, reportedly after police dispersed and were pursuing patrons of a tavern.
Writing in the Daily Maverick, Steenhuisen remarked: ‘The past couple of days have witnessed abuses perpetrated by the security forces against civilians at a scale last seen in South Africa during the dark days of apartheid. Only a few days into the lockdown to combat the coronavirus, far too many members of the police, military and other law enforcement agencies have seized upon the lack of proper oversight over their actions to unleash a wave of terror in communities throughout our country.’
He reiterated the DA’s call for parliament to convene an ad hoc committee of the National Assembly to keep track of civil liberties during this period.
He also indicated that the DA would put in place a WhatsApp and email service to accept reports of abuse.
The emergency regulations give the security forces a degree of protection during the lockdown: people who suffer damage to their property or injury as a result of good faith action in enforcing the lockdown are not entitled to compensation.
The ministry of defence said that it condemned misbehaviour by the security forces and appealed to people to adhere to the lockdown regulations, and to ‘desist from provoking any of the law-enforcement officers deployed to assist in curbing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic’.