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The absence of accountability for police who abuse their authority is far from unusual. January 13,
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The absence of accountability for police who abuse their authority is far from unusual. [View this email in your browser]( January 13, 2021
[Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, If thereâs one collective truth we hold as South Africans, itâs that time does not heal all wounds. As a nation and as a people who are haunted by our history, we know all too well the dangers of not attending to our cuts and allowing them to fester. This is why the story of Joyce Jokanisi is so important. Niren Tolsi and Paul Botes recount the tragic past few years of MaâJokanisiâs life after [she was recently laid to rest]( in the Eastern Cape town of Lusikisiki â by a community in which she was beloved and respected. At the risk of losing the nuance of the piece through summary, Jokanisiâs son Semi died in a âskirmish between mineworkers and policeâ, which had been started, without provocation, by the men in blue. When the dust settled, two other striking mineworkers and two police officers were dead. In the time since, she witnessed the justice system fumble and fail to identify his killers. The state has likewise refused to cough up an apology. In 2016, Semiâs son Ayabonga Qekeka, 15, would walk out of his boarding school gates and take his own life. Beforehand, he had complained of bullying, saying he was targeted for his fatherâs involvement at Marikana. MaâJokanisi was forced to bear the pain of the deaths of Semi and Ayabonga â with few official answers to comfort her as to who was responsible for igniting the harrowing cycle â and descended into depression. She went to her grave no closer to justice. In October last year, Sarah Smit reported that the murder case against police officers who were involved in a clash leading up to the Marikana massacre[was heard in a near-empty courtroom](. In August, itâll be nine years since 34 striking mineworkers were killed outside the Lonmin platinum mines. Since 2012, only nine police officers have been prosecuted for the deaths. Justice for these families has been elusive. In 2018, the 320 claimants who sued the state were paid R69-million for loss of support. But the families have not settled for damages relating to emotional shock. âLook, it has been a long process. It has been a long process. But at the end of the day investigations have to be thorough ⦠We were not going to come to court without things being thoroughly checked,â said the National Prosecuting Authority North West spokesperson Henry Mamothame. âTo put a tight case forward to ensure prosecution, it takes time. It takes time.â In that time, many like Jokanisi are going to their graves without justice or peace. The hostility displayed by the police in particular is chilling in its familiarity. The targets of the gratuitous violence are almost always black, poor and working class. The sites where this ferocity explodes? Economically desperate and depressed communities. Police brutality has become a shameful hallmark of post-apartheid South Africa. The absence of accountability for police who abuse their authority is far from unusual. More than 3 500 cases of assault and torture by police were reported each year from 2014 to 2018. Perhaps we cannot reform something that is [working as it was intended](. Yours in solidarity,
Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Copyright © 2021 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved.
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