Police abuse fueled by Minister Cele’s reckless comments – Whitfield

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Shadow Minister of Police Andrew Whitfield scoffed at the ruling party’s fresh drive against police abuse on Sunday 7 June.

Whitfield says that almost 6000 South Africans have suffered abuse at the hands of the police under the guidance of Minister Bheki Cele in 2018 and 2019.

A national disgrace

The DA described the low rate of convictions of abusive police officers as a national disgrace in the face of a slew of complaints to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IDPID).

“The ANC government’s violent record of police abuse and the low rate of convictions is a national disgrace which exposes the ANC’s shameful hypocrisy,” Whitfield said.

“Last week the ANC launched a campaign against police brutality. This, while between 2018 and 2019 almost 6000 South Africans suffered police brutality under the ANC-controlled South African Police Service (SAPS).

“This is exactly the same hypocrisy that we see from the ANC when they make bold statements about combatting corruption and graft while their cadres remain the biggest plunderers of state funds.”

Whitfield said that while the national lockdown had seen a marked increase in reports of police abuse, the trends in complaints received by the IPID over the last five years show that a culture of state-sanctioned violence has been fostered.

“While the lockdown has seen an increase in complaints of police abuse fueled by Minister Cele’s reckless comments and a state drunk on power, police abuse is nothing new to South Africa,” Whitfield added.

“During the lockdown, between 26 March and 17 April, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IDPID) reported a shocking 30% increase in complaints of police abuse from the same period in 2019.

“The DA has done an analysis on the last five years of complaints of police abuse referred to IPID. 

“This analysis has exposed a deeply entrenched culture of state-sanctioned violence due to a lack of accountability and consequence for police abuse and brutality.”

IPID police abuse report outcomes between 2014 and 2019

Over the last five financial years, the IPID received a total of 29 892 complaints.

Of those:

• 27.7% were referred to the NPA for criminal recommendations
• 25.8% constituted disciplinary recommendations made to SAPS
• Only 3.9% lead to disciplinary convictions
• Only 1.3% lead to criminal convictions

The DA believes there is an urgent need to demilitarize the South African Police Service (SAPS) and strengthen the independence and capacity of the IPID.

“This is why the DA wants the nomination process for an IPID Head to be independent from the Police Minister and why we have been fighting for the portfolio committee to draft a committee Bill to this effect,” Whitfield went on.

“The past week the Chairperson agreed to get legal advice and research on the matter, after which the committee will consider a committee Bill. We will continue to put pressure on the Chair to speed up this process before a new Head is appointed by the Minister.

“The suffocating violence of the state must come to an end. 

“President Ramaphosa must remove Minister Bheki Cele’s jackboot from the throats of the people.”

The behaviour of law enforcement officers is under scrutiny across the globe as a result of the events unfolding in the United States where massive protests against police brutality and a lack of accountability have taken place.

In South Africa, the process of reporting law enforcement and other authorities for abuse is under the microscope after the death of Collins Khosa. The Alexandra man was allegedly beaten to death by South African National Defence Force troops enforcing lockdown in April. SAPS members who allegedly witnessed the incident have been reported to the IPID. The SANDF probe into the incident cleared the soldiers of wrongdoing, but a criminal investigation is ongoing.

Totals for the most prevalent complaints received by IPID

2018/2019	2017/2018	2016/2017	2015/2016	2014/2015
Deaths in police custody	214	201	302	216	244
Deaths as a result of police action	393	436	394	366	396
Complaint of discharge of official firearm	770	677	1640	865	940
Rape by a police officer	124	105	112	112	124
Rape in police custody	13	9	20	23	34
Torture	270	217	173	145	145
Assault	3835	3661	3827	3509	3711

Police abuse report stats provided by the DA

Totals

	2018/2019	2017/2018	2016/2017	2015/2016	2014/2015
Total complaints (inclusive of most prevalent ones)	5 829	5 651	7 014	5 519	5 879
Total: 29 892