This article in the BBC summarizes a saga that has been ongoing since late last year, where authorities blockaded an illegal mining operation and dozens of people died. Many more emerged into custody much earlier, but the last few dozen included people that the BBC observed to be extremely weak and emaciated.
Some South Africans insist that what the miners were doing was unlawful. And they are right – it was. Illegal mining is a big problem, and many involved in it cause other problems still. But our law also includes provisions for the state to go out of its way to protect human life and basic dignity. Law enforcement is not a license to do “whatever it takes”. So the state may also have acted unlawfully in pursuit of law enforcement.
I’m not sure who exactly can or will hold the government to account here. But I wanted to flag it as an example of a negative or at least excessive action taken under the new GNU government of Ramaphosa.
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This article in the BBC summarizes a saga that has been ongoing since late last year, where authorities blockaded an illegal mining operation and dozens of people died. Many more emerged into custody much earlier, but the last few dozen included people that the BBC observed to be extremely weak and emaciated.
Some South Africans insist that what the miners were doing was unlawful. And they are right – it was. Illegal mining is a big problem, and many involved in it cause other problems still. But our law also includes provisions for the state to go out of its way to protect human life and basic dignity. Law enforcement is not a license to do “whatever it takes”. So the state may also have acted unlawfully in pursuit of law enforcement.
I’m not sure who exactly can or will hold the government to account here. But I wanted to flag it as an example of a negative or at least excessive action taken under the new GNU government of Ramaphosa.