South Africans Angered by Police Killings of Black People During Lockdown

South Africans on social media are speaking out against continued police brutality since the commencement of the near 2-month national lockdown. Their anger comes after the death of several Black and Coloured men including Collins Khosa, Sibusiso Amos, Petrus Miggels and Adane Emmanuel. Investigations into the police officers involved in the deaths of these men have either been lethargic or closed prematurely without achieving the necessary justice for the victims and their families.

It is an incredibly tumultuous time all over the world and more especially for Black people. Already reeling from the impact of COVID-19 and how that has disproportionately affected Black communities globally, African-Americans have been protesting against the continued police brutality targeted at their community. The protests erupted in Minneapolis shortly after the alleged murder of George Floyd by white police officers.

In the case of Khosa, a Black man from Vosloorus, Johannesburg, the members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) who reportedly assaulted him at the beginning of April were initially suspended from their duties by the North Gauteng High Court. However, an inquiry made by the SANDF itself ruled that its members were not responsible for Khosa's death. Khosa's family is set to legally challenge the validity of that SANDF report.

Many South Africans on social media have been angered by the loss of life at the hands of what they feel is (and has been) an anti-Black police system inherited from the Apartheid era. While some have called to mobilise and protest, others have shared online petitions for the matter to be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Naturally, as the conversation around Black-on-Black violence in the country continues, others have also called for the addressing of South Africa's notable xenophobia which has affected the lives of numerous African nationals in years gone by. Last year saw another spate of violent xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg especially.