Apr 13, 2011
Protester beaten and shot to death by South African Police
Shocking images as police shown beating defenceless protester to death.
Police beat protesters; one man is singled out for apparently confronting police; the wounded man - shot in the back and chest, shortly before he collapses
Bystanders rush to help the man as he collapses on the street.
Andries Tatane lies dead in the street after being beaten and shot by SAPS members.
Shocking images of police brutality were broadcast to the nation on television yesterday - they showed an unarmed man being beaten to death by a mob of policemen.
Pictures of the attack on the 33-year-old man by at least six policemen simultaneously, during a service delivery protest at Setsoto, in Ficksburg, eastern Free State, were shown on all SABC news bulletins last night.
The visuals show how the armed policemen cornered Andries Tatane, striking him with their batons and kicking him in an assault that lasted for a few minutes.
Tatane, from Masaleng township, Ficksburg, is seen holding his hand against his chest after the assault. He collapsed about 20 minutes later and died before an ambulance arrived.
As well as being beaten, he had been shot twice.
Last night Tatane's brother, Lefu Tatane, told The Times of the "shocking murder" of his elder brother.
"We are very angry. I can't even describe it. He was no danger to the police or anyone. Why did they have to kill him?" said Lefu.
Tatane was part of a group of about 4000 protesters who marched to the Setsoto municipal offices yesterday morning demanding a response to a memorandum of demands they had sent to the mayor, Mbothoma Maduna, and the municipal manager, Bafana Mthembu.
The people of Setsoto, like many others across the country, are fed-up with the lack of services in their area and demanded that Maduna and Mthembu speed up their provision.
According to Lefu, the demonstration had been peaceful until a rock was thrown into the crowd of protesters.
Police reinforcements were called in and, according to at least two eyewitnesses, chaos erupted when police water cannon were used against the protesters.
One eyewitness said that Tatane had jumped in front of an elderly man who was being sprayed by the water cannon.
"The only thing he did was to ask that they not spray the old man and then all hell broke loose. The next minute, police were all over Tatane. He was defenceless."
According to his brother, Tatane sustained two bullet wounds, one to the chest and one in the back.
But the police claim that they were trying to arrest Tatane. They said they did not know who shot him.
Police spokesman Captain Phumelelo Dlamini said: "They were trying to arrest him. While he was being arrested, there was a gun shot so we don't know who shot him but we're going to investigate."
Police also shot at the crowd, which, after witnessing the beating of Tatane, turned violent.
A number of witnesses said it was the police that shot Tatane.
Last night, Lefu said his brother's wife was too distraught to talk and the family was taking her for medical treatment. Tatane is also survived by a three-year-old child.
Maduna, the mayor of Setsoto, said: "It's really unfortunate to have a person dying as a result [of the protests]. We regret it . it was not supposed to have happened. We will contribute towards the burial and show that we care."
Free State Premier Ace Magashule said: "We will sit down and talk and work together [with the people of Setsoto]. We are sending condolences to the family.
Lefu said officials of the Independant Complaints Directorate visited the family home at about 3pm yesterday and would return today.
The ANC last night condemned the killing and called on Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to set up a commission of inquiry
ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said the police responsible for the killing should be brought to book.
"We are shocked and disgusted by what we saw on television. No reason can be raised about the behaviour of the police.
"Our people have a constitutional right to protest and the action by the police is reminiscent of the apartheid police force," Mthembu said.
David Bruce, senior a researcher at The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, said that there had been an increase in the number of people killed by the police in recent years.
The peak year was 2008-2009.
ICD statistics show a steady increase in complaints of serious non-fatal police violence, assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm and attempted murder.
We have once again proven that we are truly a third world country.How angry and sadenned i was seeing visions of our own police officers killing an innocent man."Shoot to kill',Does it apply when innocent people are picketing for delivery service?Clearly our police force need major training.We are being told that investigations are being conducted:what investigations?This happened at broad day light in a so called 'democratic country".This is enough reason for me not to stay in this 'comic' country called south africa.Oliver Thabo,Govin Mbeki ,Chris Hani ect must be turning in their graveslooking at what has become of this country they fought so hard for.
ReplyDeleteOMG it was really shocking and sad to see this murder of a human being. It made my blood chill. I can't believe the ANC is now trying to investigate the SABC for showing this. Why do they want to hide it from us? So that they can just do and kill like they want? Shoot the boer, shoot to kill... It may be only words but it gets very real and personal when you actually see the person being shot and murdered, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS REALLY EMARRASSING , SOUTH AFRICA IS A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY INDEEED . THE GUY WAS DEFENCELESS , WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS POLICE OF
ReplyDeleteSOUTH AFRICA WE R SUPPOSED TO B A DEMOCRADIC COUNTRY , THEY R SUPPOSED TO PROTECT PEOPLE NOT TO KILL . ITS A SHAME .....
the bible says you kill by the gun you die by the gun. you reap what you sore
DeleteAll I can say is that stop being narrow minded and vote for DA. DA memders are not like these stup and aparthetic ANC members... you will never hear them singing stupid songs. i am black but i do not support this ANC thing.
ReplyDeleteThose policemen probably did not mean to kill the poor man, but I can imagine them being fed up with all the protests and violent crimes. This is clearly an act of frustration, but it is totally unacceptable! How can police officers behave themselves like this. I hope they go to prison for a loooong time for this.
ReplyDeletePolice brutality is not an issue isolated to SA, it has happening all over the world including America. It is a taste of the new world order and a complete police state to come. The elite 1% are now the slave masters and we are the slaves!
ReplyDeleteyou reap what you sore??? wtf learn english
ReplyDeleteIf Africans hadn't spent most of the past 20,000 in abject backwardness, they'd never have come to a position of dependence on whites and crying to whites for bread and a spot at their dinner table.
ReplyDeleteHeaven forbid they fuck off to their own homelands and handle their own business.
I'm supposed to care about a white-hating Marxist. You're barking up the wrong tree.