The Right2Know (R2K) Campaign has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to take swift action against the members of the South Africa Police Services who were allegedly involved in the killing of a bystander during student protests on Wednesday.
A group of University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) students were protesting for access to funding for tertiary education and demanding that the university allow all students, including those with historical debt, to register to study when a bystander was shot, allegedly by police, during the protests in Braamfontein.
The bystander is believed to be a patient that was leaving a clinic in the area.
“Incidents of police brutality are escalating across the country. Protesters are being criminalised, shot at with stun grenades and rubber bullets and we cannot afford to remain silent as more protesters with legitimate grievances are at risk of severe injury and even losing their lives at the hands of the police,” R2K said.
The organisation expressed its sadness at the news of the death of the bystander that was killed. It sent its condolences to the family of the man and encouraged them to sue the State.
R2K also condemned the police’s “brutal” handling of the protesting students and called for action to be taken against the officers who were involved in shooting at the protesting students.
“We understand that students were shot at with rubber bullets, but these are just as harmful as live ammunition. Students sustained severe injuries from being shot with rubber bullets, We call on Wits University and the government to respect and protect the right to protest, and to ensure that action is taken against the inappropriate use of force by police and private security,” R2K stated.
R2K called on the university to urgently address the students’ grievances in a more dignified manner to end this conflict.
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