By now the entire country is in discussion over the brutal death of one Andries Tatane who was killed on Wednesday during a protest in Ficksburg, Free State. Tatane was one of dozens who were protesting against lack of service delivery in their area. His death is partly recorded on video and was flighted on SABC news last night. It shows a group of about 8 policemen surrounding Tatane, some of them beating him with batons and others kicking him. Later he died and was found to have been shot twice. Witnesses say they heard gunshots and they are pretty sure it was police who shot the man they’d been kicking earlier.
Just apart from the fact that the guy - who was said to have been trying to tell the trigger-happy cops to stop spraying water upon an older gentleman, is now deceased, the thing that gets to me the most is the silence of the government on the issue. Not one statement has been issued in the form of condolences to his family, condemning the incident, threatening to turn over each stone to find the killers, or even just to say “we are sorry this happened”. All I heard was something about a commission of inquiry and we all know the outcomes borne by those gatherings. I mean the thing is on video for crying out loud!
National police Commissioner General Bheki Cele is worryingly silent on the matter. So is his boss Minister Nathi Mthethwa. So is his boss President Zuma (I know he’s in China but statements cross seas, like the one his office made to say he will be attending the late Judge Qedusizi Smimang’s funeral on the weekend). Mr Vavi, where are you today? Strange enough, the opposition parties are also silent.
That the man was in his late 30s makes him a youth in the eyes of the ANCYL and I haven’t heard one word from Mr Malema nor Mr Shivambu either. Why is no one in authority shouting at the top of their voices to say we absolutely abhor this disgusting incident and we will do our best to bring the perpetrators to justice? We’ve heard these words before for less. Why not this time? And if they start singing now, it will be too late anyway. Worse, NO one has been arrested in connection with this death!
This incident of police brutality will stand out as a strong catalyst in the outcome of next month’s local government elections. The ANC might deny this but the results will show come election day.
Thanks to 2Cool4FS for the YouTube video
1 comment:
Police are useless, because they know that the is no justice in south africa! The people who kill Mr Mashonisa Ngomane the must be sentence. The people who kill Henry Muyeni, the people who kill Dimakatso Shabangu all of them a enjoyin life.so even that police did it and they know how to get out of this mess they did. I feel like somebody put salt in my wound. I like to say sorry to Mr Tatane' family we all together in that pain
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