Four South African police officers have been charged with murder after footage emerged of them shooting a man dead in Krugersdorp.
The graphic CCTV footage, obtained by South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper, shows the armed officers pursuing suspected criminal Khulekani Mpanza down a quiet suburban street on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Mpanza was struck in the arm and is seen lying injured and unarmed on the pavement when one of the officers walks up to him and shoots him in the chest. Another officer walks up to him and kicks him, before the other policeman shoots him in the head.
The footage has sent shockwaves through South Africa, with many arguing that the suspect no longer posed a threat to police and deadly force should not have been used.
"The one word that went through my mind as I watched this was that this is an execution," policing expert Dr Johan Burger told the newspaper. "It's not even a murder, it's absolute execution."
The police officers just stood there "waiting for him to die," said the victim's brother Mbonseni Mpanza."Yes, they might say he is a criminal, but why did they not arrest him?"
South Africa's Independent Police Directorate (IPD), which investigates alleged police abuses, told the BBC that the officers handed themselves in after the video was published yesterday.
"The footage again highlights the explosive relationship between cops and criminals in South Africa, where police are repeatedly accused of acting outside the law," says the Sunday Times.
The case comes less than two months after eight South African policemen were convicted of murdering a Mozambican taxi driver in 2013.
They were filmed tying 27-year-old Mido Macia to the back of their van by his arms before driving off. He later died in custody.
Officers insisted that Macia had fallen out of vehicle by accident and his handcuffs "accidentally hooked on to the back on the van".
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
