Legacy of Torture: South African Police Employ Apartheid-Era Tactics

An alarming report shows that the South African police have not abandoned brutal interrogation techniques from the apartheid era, directly contradicting the country's promise to uphold human rights following liberation.

During the oppressive regime of apartheid, South Africa's police force was notorious for using barbaric interrogation practices that included suffocating detainees, often with plastic bags. Although the nation transitioned to democracy in the early 1990s and adopted a constitution prohibiting such methods, troubling new evidence reveals that the same torture tactics, specifically a method known as "tubing," persist within the police force today.

A collaborative analysis by The New York Times and Viewfinder, a nonprofit journalism organization focused on police misconduct, uncovered that an average of three citizens weekly lodged complaints regarding being subjected to tubing during police interrogations between 2012 and 2023. This revelation starkly contrasts the foundational promises made by leaders of the African National Congress (ANC), who fought tirelessly against the apartheid government.

Khulu Mbatha, a long-time ANC veteran, voiced his dismay upon learning about the ongoing use of such a torture method. He reflected on the commitment made three decades ago to ensure no individual would endure the same atrocities inflicted by the apartheid regime. His sentiments underline a broader societal shock and disappointment at how a government once dedicated to freedom is now presiding over a force that mirrors its past oppressors.

The situation highlights a critical paradox; a nation that has achieved liberation and claimed to embrace human rights now grapples with an entrenched police culture reminiscent of some of its darkest times. Amid escalating crime rates, the reliance on brutality in interrogations raises urgent concerns about justice and accountability in a country striving to heal from its troubled past.