The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) has condemned what they describe as the excessive force police have been using in the ongoing protest in Slovo Park close to Eldorado Park in the south of Johannesburg.
SERI says that it has learned that 16-year-old Karabo Chaka was killed after police allegedly shot him in the back of the head on Monday. The incident happened during a protest, even though the boy was not part of it.
In the Slovo Park area there is a protest in action on the N12 near the Pedestrian Bridge between Klipspruit Valley Road and the Golden Highway – burning tires and rocks across the road
– Please avoid the area – a truck is now being looted pic.twitter.com/mDPIXC03Ts— Road Angels Traffic Information (@Road_Angels_SA) August 3, 2023
Khululiwe Bhengu, who is a senior attorney at the institute says police officers did a lot of things wrong.
“Over the years we’ve had a number of protests and at this stage the police should know how to attend to protests. It’s in their directive, that when attending to protest they need to assess the situation in order to determine whether ammunition should be used, and what type and the severity thereof. But we didn’t see that in this case, and that why we now have a 16-year-old boy who has lost his life, when he was not even part of the protest,” says Bhengu.
VIDEO: Thato Masiangoako weighs in on the Slovo Park Protest
