South African Soldier Shoots Man For Not Wearing A Mask

According to TimesLIVE, a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier shot a 27-year-old man for allegedly not wearing a mask at a mall. The incident is alleged to have taken place at a mall in the province of Limpopo. The man was reportedly shot after an argument with a soldier about not wearing a mask as required under COVID-19 regulations.

Read: South Africans Angered by Police Killings of Black People During Lockdown

Members of SANDF are reported to have been surveying the mall as part of COVID-19 duties when the argument ensued. The 29 year-old soldier is said to have approached the man and questioned him about not wearing a mask, but a scuffle erupted and a shot was fired into the man's leg.

SANDF has been under increasing public criticism since the commencement of South Africa's lockdown. Soldier troops were deployed into low income, Black dominated areas across the country. Black Twitter was cynical about the deployment considering rampant police brutality. Barely a week after SANDF was deployed, videos of SANDF members assaulting innocent Black public members surged on Twitter and Facebook. These incidences coincided with the #BlackLivesMatter movement where violent clashes between white police forces and African-Americans are captured daily on social media. The exception is that in South Africa policy brutality occurs as black on black violence whilst white bodies are exempt from violent treatment.

The Presidency delayed responding to rising public outcries until the killings of Collins Khoza caught international attention. While the deaths are currently under investigation, President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a public statement emphasising compliance to both the South African Police Force and SANDF. The president's response roused further public anger.

The injured 27-year-old man was rushed to hospital while the soldier was arrested and charged with attempted murder. SANDF spokesperson Captain Jaco Theunissen told TimesLIVE the shooting could have been accidental. President Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will officially enter the final level of lockdown on the 20th of September.