For years, the African fraternity has been fighting against racism. On Friday, President Ramaphosa said the police forces brutality at anti-racism rallies is unjustified. Most of the police use force to enforce the outlaid lockdown rules. While criticizing these actions, he draws reference to the last week’s killing of George Floyd in the United States.
The death of George Floyd sparked widespread protests in Africa and movements across the world. A lot of people showed up in South Africa’s anti-racism protests in solidarity with Floyd. For that reason, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party initiated an anti-racism movement on Friday. The campaign asked citizens to wear black to show support.
The Anti-racism battle
At the Virtual launch, Mr. Ramaphosa said that racism is a dehumanization of others. He also notes that black and indigenous societies experience across the world is racial prolific. Sure, these are victims of the imposing law system. However, he argued that a process is in place to fight against racial discrimination across the country.
Indeed, it is terrible to see how those in positions of power abuse the rights of the weak people in all societies. The police brutality led to the death of Collins Khosa, a Johannesburg resident. To make matters worse, ten other South Africans were victims of the same. Sure, this is an example of unjustified violence caused by the security forces.
According to the reports, Khosa was allegedly assaulted by the security officers to death in April. The police said that they caught him drinking alcohol- a sale banned by the government at the beginning of the Coronavirus lockdown.
Authority response
After the terrible incident, the court ordered the suspension of the involved police officers and soldiers. President Ramaphosa remarks his regret for those actions, vowing that the murderers will face the full fate of the law. Cyril promised that they would combat the issue with equal intensity. On March 27, South Africa began one of the world’s strictest lockdown measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Despite these measures, the country recorded more than 43,400 infected people. On the other hand, at least 908 people have died from the virus. The government deployed more military soldiers to help the police enforce the necessary measures.
However, they have been taxing heavily on more deprived overcrowded areas. Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba accused the ANC movement of hypocrisy. In an opinion statement, he asked why the government is calling upon citizens to support the campaign, yet it has killed poor black people. Besides, the alleged security force’s actions draw widespread doubt and blame over the ANC’s anti-racism drive.
Conclusion
Indeed, it is agonizing to see how African societies suffer from racial discrimination. Now is the time to get rid of this callous regard. Sure, it has been decades of battle, but together we can put this to an end. In my opinion, governments should set strict rules for racists. All in all, we should create a peaceful society for future generations.
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