Batswana urged to fight police brutality
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday January 15, 2024 06:00
The family did not buy the story of suicide inside the Kutlwano Police Station cells in Francistown but went on to bury their loved one as the BPS post- mortem report stated suicide.
They would land in the hands of Makwati who approached the court on urgency challenging the conduct of the police in investigating the matter including the use of an employee of the BPS to conduct an autopsy. Though the fresh autopsy report is yet to be shared, the Mosala family emerged victorious and the exhumation was finally done. According to Makwati, while they were already following numerous such cases of alleged police brutality, more people came forward to lodge their cases as they felt hard done by the police hoping to get closure on what really led to the demise of their loved ones in the hands of the police.
He also said apart from the cases they are involved in, they are concerned at the level of police brutality on citizens.
He mentioned amongst other incidents, a case where a woman is living with bullets on her body after she was shot at by security elements. He further mentioned a case of a Zimbabwean young man who was mistakenly shot at a bar and remains paralysed in a wheelchair. Makwati also gave an example of where the police mistook for someone who had just stabbed his girlfriend with a knife while working at Ipelegeng and shot at him. He also referenced the case of Ditshotlo Gaoberekwe who was badly assaulted by the police under unclear circumstances.
According to Makwati, the trouble is probably caused by a lack of proper training and poor leadership. “It is totally shocking that a well-trained officer can shoot at a person at first sight. Our officers seem trigger happy, which can only mean there is need for better training. Another reason for the escalation for such cases is impunity. They believe if they get away with their deeds once, they will always walk,” he said.
Makwati also slammed the Minister of Defence and Security’s (Kagiso Mmusi) leadership stating that he encouraged the police to shoot willy-nilly in an attempt to curb crime. He further accused the minister of arming more officers while those who were already armed needed further training. He called on Batswana to stand up for their rights and speak out. “People have gotten too comfortable because Batswana just sit back. They need to be sensitised that their human rights are from God and they should not allow anyone to infringe upon them. If need be, they should not fear to approach lawyers to see if their matters can be taken up in the courts to seek redress. Also, Batswana should unite and protest against such cases of brutality,” he said.
He further took a swipe at the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) stating that they are rather turning a blind eye when they should be leading in the fight against any abuse of human rights. Makwati called on the government to establish an independent police investigations unit.
“The unit should be independent of the police, the Office of the President and indeed the government. It should be independent and be able to hold the police accountable. The government should also domesticate the UN charter on torture and other inhumane treatment,” he said. The BPS deputy Public Relations Officer, Senior Superintendent Near Bagali maintains that they are not above the law as the police.
“Whenever there is an incident where a suspect or any individual is shot at or brutalised in any way, an inquest docket is opened and investigations are made to determine what exactly happened. Our officers have been taken to court and others ended up behind bars while those who were found to have done nothing wrong walked scot-free. We have never been, and we will never be above the law,” he emphasised.