Mduduzi Tladi: The front-page picture last Thursday shows how the police think they can shoot as they wish.
Regardless of whether they shoot with rubber bullets, tear gas or live ammunition, these are the kind of acts that can ignite revolt against the government by the citizens of South Africa.
The revolt against the Tunisian government was started when police brutalised and beat a civilian in the name of maintaining order. It resulted in that government being toppled.
The police might think that they are maintaining order, but as far as I can see they are not.
General Bheki Cele apparently sent a crowd- control task team to Ermelo to calm the situation.
But, how do you calm a crowd in high emotion by using force.
In Europe they control crowds with equipment such as water cannons, shields and batons and sometimes tear gas - but not rubber bullets.
Their strategies are much more humane than the crowd- control strategies used by the SAPS and the government.
It just shows that they don't wish to improve their methods, they just enjoy inflicting pain.
Most of the police personnel working in the SAPS today are exactly the same youths that used to throw stones at the police during apartheid.
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