Pretoria – Police have secured a combined 118 years imprisonment on convictions for lawlessness during public protests since the beginning of the year.
The figure resulted from the successful prosecution of 15 people.
This follows the arrest of perpetrators charged with various criminal acts, including murder, damage to property, lawlessness and public violence from January to June this year.
The heftiest sentence was handed to one accused in Gauteng, who received a 40 years imprisonment.
“Working together with the National Prosecuting Authority, we are now beginning to see a real sting on those who break the law. We hope it will send a message out there that whilst we respect the right to protest, we shall not tolerate any lawlessness or anarchy,” said Police Minister Nathi Mthwthwa.
During the same period, over fines worth over R40 000 were issued to perpetrators, ranging from damage to property to assault.
The Police Ministry said most of the arrests effected were during illegal protests. Perpetrators of violence against foreign nationals and looters of their shops, as well those who destroyed municipality offices were also part of the arrested.
“We want to highlight this point and commend our police officers because there has been this misconception that those who are arrested during illegal gatherings and violent protests are never convicted or even walk free after a court appearance.”
Mthethwa urged the police to build on this conviction success and to intensify their stance and act against anyone found to be responsible for violent destructions, intimidation of people and burning of properties during any illegal gathering.
He said in a democratic dispensation, acts of violent destruction and intimidation of innocent people could not be justified as public protests, and that is why police must act harshly against lawlessness.
"Government recognises the democratic rights of any person to express their grievances, whether through a public protest or any other legal gathering as stipulated within the labour laws. However, such rights do not imply that those who do not wish to participate in a strike must be intimidated, beaten and properties destroyed,” added the minister.
Commenting on the capacity of police to handle public protests, he stated that police were guided by clear policies on how to put in place appropriate, effective operational strategies and systems.
He emphasised that in 2011, the ministry passed the Public Order Policing policy, through which the SAPS is now standardising the training of a public order policing unit, as well as enhancing its human and physical resource capacities.
Mthethwa, however, stressed that while the policy guided police on operational deliverables, protesters’ conduct remained crucial in this regard.
During his Budget Vote in May this year, Mthethwa said during the 2012/13 financial year, 12 399 crowd-related incidents were responded to and successfully stabilised, including 10 517 peaceful incidents such as assemblies, gatherings and meetings.
Of these incidents, 1 882 were violent incidents and 3 680 arrests were carried out.
“We have now introduced a mandatory Public Order Policing training curriculum that is intended for new recruits as a means to develop a support base for the first line of response to public order incidents,” he stated. – SAnews.gov.za
