LISTEN | The cost of protest in SA

Protesting in South Africa comes at a price, sometimes a deadly one. From Sharpeville to today’s crackdowns, the state’s response to dissent has often been force, not dialogue. As the country marks Human Rights Day, the question remains: why does standing up for basic rights still come with heavy consequences?

In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we unpack with experts issues behind police brutality and state repression. Their insights paint a troubling picture of a system where law enforcement is often used to silence dissent rather than protect citizens.

Listen to the discussion:

The shrinking space for protest

Shenilla Mohamed, executive director of Amnesty International South Africa, warns that the space for protest action is rapidly closing. “Protesters are facing all sorts of possibilities of excessive use of force by the police; it is not a safe space,” she says.

She highlights how authorities are treating protest as something to be “clamped down on” rather than a fundamental civil right. This, she argues, is a way of silencing people fighting for basic rights.

A concern is the frequent use of rubber bullets by police during demonstrations.

“They are extremely dangerous,” Mohamed says, highlighting that law enforcement officers lack proper training in handling public order situations. She calls on leadership — from the police hierarchy to the presidency — to take responsibility for rebuilding public trust in law enforcement.

A culture of impunity in the police

Gareth Newham, policing expert from the Institute for Security Studies, explains that policing culture is shaped by a lack of accountability.

“When the police are typically seen by a large proportion of the public as quite brutal, not very open, not very professional, it’s usually an indication that political elites are using that organisation more for their political interests than to really pursue constitutional values,” Newham argues.

Despite numerous reports and inquiries into police misconduct, little has changed. Newham says there’s been little accountability for police accused of crime, corruption, brutality and misconduct.

State violence as a tool to protect economic power

Activist and political analyst Dr Dale McKinley takes the discussion further, arguing that state violence is not just about law and order but about protecting economic interests. He argues that the state has been deploying police resources to defend and maintain neoliberal policies.

“They have tried to suppress or delegitimise dissent — whether Marikana or different protests — it sends a message that there’s no willingness to listen to or consult people. It’s ‘either you comply, or we deal with you’,” he says.

For McKinley, the real solution lies in mobilisation: “We need a new political class. We need representatives that are willing to listen to the people, that are accountable — not political parties that get voted in and [then] turn their backs on their own constituency.”

However, he acknowledges that South Africans have become fatigued in their struggles. “It’s not just going to be that we create another party, but mobilisation of people ... we’ve become weak as society in doing that.”

Beyond the crisis of police violence, McKinley stresses the need to address structural issues, including spatial apartheid and land reform.

“We still have to deal with the legacies of apartheid. Where people live in different communities according to their colour, for the most part, and their class.”

Listen to the full discussion of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly for deeper insights.

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The podcast is hosted by Bulelani Nonyukela.