Collins Khosa: DA welcomes High Court ruling on suspension of SANDF soldiers

15 May 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the Pretoria High Court ruling today, ordering the suspension of South African National Defense Force (SANDF) soldiers and Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers who were allegedly involved in the fatal beating of Collins Khosa, pending an investigation.

Judge Hans Fabricius ruled that every individual within South Africa's borders, despite the National State of Disaster, is entitled to the right to human dignity, the right to life and the right not to be tortured. Judge Fabricius also highlighted that SANDF and the South African Police Services (SAPS) are bound to protect these rights and to only use minimum force.

We trust that this ruling will send a strong message to law enforcement officials that they are not above the law and that the South African public has the right to be treated with dignity.

Since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, we have witnessed and heard harrowing accounts of law enforcement officials flouting their mandates to humiliate, degrade and harm the public. While those who do not comply with lockdown regulations should be held accountable within the bounds of the law, the senseless torture and killing of civilians are indefensible.

This ruling will not make up for the untimely death of Collins Khosa, but we trust that it will bring his family and loved ones another step closer to justice.

The DA lodged a complaint with the Military Ombudsman, General (Ret) Vusi Masondo, to request an independent investigation into the killing of Mr Khosa. We trust that the investigation will be conducted openly and transparently and that all those involved will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

South Africa is a constitutional democracy, and despite us being in an unprecedented period in our history, the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution must be adhered to at all times.

Issued by Kobus Marais, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, 15 May 2020