The right to life and security is violated daily in South Africa, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
“The Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights” finds that 29 years after the fall of the apartheid regime, South Africans are still not safe.
“Violent crime continues to plague South Africa, and the right to life and security of the person, enshrined in the constitution as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is violated daily with murder rates soaring, mass shootings, femicides and assassinations continuing unabated,” said Amnesty International SA executive director Shenilla Mohamed.
The report cites South Africa’s soaring murder rate which, according to crime statistics from July to September last year, increased by 13.6% compared to the same quarter in 2021.
Mass shootings have continued into 2023, with at least 30 people reportedly killed in incidents in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal since the start of this year
— Amnesty International SA
“The most recent quarterly crime statistics showed a 22.1% increase in murders of women, with 1,101 women murdered between October and December 2022. Sexual offences increased by 9.6% and reported rape cases by 9.8%,” the report states.
“Tragically, there was also an increase of 9.8% in child murders. This trend continued with the crime statistics for October to December 2022, released in March this year, showing an increase in murders of 10.1%, compared to the same quarter in 2021. Murders of children went down by 9.4% but attempted murder of children rocketed by 23.9%.”
Mass shootings are also an indicator of unsafe conditions. The report highlights the killing of 26 people in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, between March and June last year, and more than 20 people murdered in two tavern shootings in Soweto and Pietermaritzburg in July the same year.
“Mass shootings have continued into 2023, with at least 30 people reportedly killed in incidents in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal since the start of this year.”
Amnesty International said South Africa was “clearly extremely dangerous for anyone, especially women and girls”.
Mohamed said despite the adoption of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF) in 2019, a national council, intended to ensure that the plan was implemented, is yet to be established.
“On Tuesday, SA will appear before the UN Human Rights Council [UNHCR] in Geneva, Switzerland, where it has been reported that it plans to support all the recommendations from other countries to address GBVF.
“This is encouraging but we urge the government not to stop at supporting the recommendations — it must now swiftly implement them, providing adequate financial resources to deliver outcomes of the NSP-GBVF. Simply put, no more time can be lost to protect women and girls,” she said.
The increasing number of abductions, excessive force by police, and the lack of protection for whistle-blowers are also cited.
“Human rights defenders (HRDs) and whistle-blowers continued to be targeted in 2022 with Abahlali baseMjondolo, a movement advocating for basic services for poor communities, losing four activists to unlawful killings in KwaZulu-Natal, allegedly in connection with their work. Twenty-four of the movement’s activists have been killed over the last few years, and its activists remain under threat.
“In 2022 Amnesty International SA also campaigned for justice for environmental activist and human rights defender Fikile Ntshangase, who was silenced with six bullets in 2020. No-one has been brought to justice for her murder.
If the government continues failing to create a safe environment for all, it is violating the right to life and security of the person, and must be held accountable. The buck stops with the government
— Amnesty International SA executive director Shenilla Mohamed.
“The recent murders of state capture liquidators Cloete and Thomas Murray have demonstrated yet again the disturbing increase in extra judicial killings and high levels of crime in SA.”
Mohamed said the government was obliged, through the Protected Disclosures Act and the Witness Protection Act, to provide HRDs and whistle-blowers with protection.
“It must transparently and without delay outline how it plans to strengthen protection for whistle-blowers and HRDs, as promised by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa in this year’s state of the nation address.
“Everyone must be assured that exposing corruption and wrongdoing will not cost them their lives,” she said.
No-one was safe in South Africa, and the impunity with which killings were carried out fuelled the flames, said Mohamed.
“Urgent action is needed from the government, including the SA Police Service [SAPS], who have a duty to protect everyone who lives in this country. They must work to reduce persistently high levels of violence in communities, by taking measures to ensure public safety, through effective, human rights compliant, and accountable law enforcement.
“It is up to the SAPS to conduct thorough, efficient and transparent investigations into all killings, and ensure that the perpetrators are charged in accordance with the law. We can no longer allow horrendous crimes in South Africa to continue with impunity.”
The justice system must begin to act as a deterrent, she added.
“If the government continues failing to create a safe environment for all, it is violating the right to life and security of the person, and must be held accountable. The buck stops with the government.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.