Police Minister Bheki Cele says the 2012 Marikana tragedy has compelled the police to change the way they control violent crowds.
Cele released a report in Pretoria by a panel of experts on Monday, looking into policing and crowd control in the South African Police Service.
The panel was appointed following the findings and recommendations of the Farlam Commission that looked into the Marikana tragedy.
Thirty-four miners died when police opened fire on striking Lonmin mineworkers at Wonderkop outside Rustenburg in the North West.
The incident was preceded by the killing of 12 other people, including two police officers and two security officers.
The workers were demanding a R12 500 monthly salary.
Cele says over R176-million has already been paid to families whose relatives died in the tragedy.
In the video below, SABC Reporter Ofentse Setimo outlines details to be highlighted in the report:
Student protests put crowd policing under spotlight
The recent student protests for the provision of free education have cast a spotlight on how police conduct themselves when handling crowds.
Earlier this month, students at Wits University and the University of Johannesburg protested against financial exclusion.
Public Order Police who were dispersing a crowd during the Wits student protest have been accused of heavy-handedness.
Criminologist in the Department of Political Science at Stellenbosch University Dr Guy Lamb elaborates:
-Additional reporting by SABC News
