Reconceptualising reform practice in South African policing

Abstract

In recent months, police behaviour in South Africa has generated condemnation, particularly in regard to public displays of violent tactics in dealing with protesters. In August 2004, 17 year old Teboho Mkhonza was killed when police opened fire on protestors blocking a highway outside of Harrismith (Bruce, 2005). This tragedy was not an isolated incident. In townships across South Africa, police have (once again) been using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse angry crowds protesting the slow pace of service delivery. In central business districts police have acted similarly against workers who have taken to the streets over public service wage deadlocks (Breytenbach & Sapa, 2005). Police violence is also occurring in more hidden spaces. Foreign nationals and immigrants are aggressively harassed by the police on a daily basis. Scare and bribery tactics are regularly employed by the police in their encounter with members of vulnerable groupings, such as (illegal) immigrants (Templeton & Maphumulo, 2005). And, as David Bruce and Gareth Newham demonstrate in this special issue, the continued prevalence of serious police misconduct and the excessive use of deadly force remain cause for concern.