The Gravy Train doesn't stop at Ficksburg

Andries Tatane was killed during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg yesterday. Nathi Mthethwa has urged the country to wait for the results of a full investigation into the incident before jumping to conclusions. This is ridiculous. We are all able to see the violent and brutal way in which the police clamped down on the protestors from the footage aired on SABC news. We could all see the police surrounding and beating Mr Tatane. We don't need investigators to tell us that the police acted with excessive force. Surely the minister could admit to this much instead of sticking his head in the ground and pretending it did not happen?

Sadly, this sort of incident is all too common and it's only the fact that it was filmed and broadcast that sets it apart from the many other police crimes. The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) has admitted that the 6 375 cases it investigated in 2009/10 does probably not even cover the full spectre of police criminality. This includes crimes as such as rape, murder, and assault with intent, allegedly carried out by police officers on citizens who, in some instances, had turned to the police to protect them.

It's no surprise that the Police are getting more and more brutal. The culture of shoot first, ask questions later has been championed by Bheki Cele. There were warnings that the militarisation of the police ranks could turn back to clock to an Apartheid-style policing. Fikile Mbalula (then Deputy Police Minister) encouraged Police to "Shoot the bastards". He also said it was inevitable that "innocent people are going to die" in the battles between Police and criminals.

The irony is that only a day before, during the presentation to National Assembly Mthethwa said that this was to be "the year of the good cop". When DA MP Diane Kohler-Barnard crisiced the Police, saying that they had begun a slow and relentless meltdown, he lambasted her, saying she was "deluded", "living in her own world... People who comment like you... will not distract the police from what they do". Clearly it is you, Mr Mthethwa, who is deluded if you believe that our South African Police Service is not completely dysfunctional. How many more people will have to die at the hands of the Police before you, or the public who voted you in to your position, realise that.

Somehow those in charge of the Police seem blatanly unaware of the problems with the service. How is this possible? Are the trappings of the Gravy Train proving too much of a distraction? Too much time spent in Luxury hotels (Mr Mthethwa)? Lavish weddings in Pennington and dodgy rental agreements (Mr Cele)?

The Gravy Train doesn't stop in Ficksburg - there's not much demand for our services there. No wonder these things can go unnoticed. Choo Choo.

We saw our friend die
Mthethwa rubbishes Kohler-Barnard's claims
Remilitarisation of the Police
Diane Kholer-Barnard's Speech on Police Budget (May 2010)
Shoot the bastards - Fikile Mbalula