South Africa lawyers group disgusted at police extortion of immigrants

By Tererai Karimakwenda
09 September 2005

An organization of lawyers in South Africa has released a strong statement saying they were disgusted with the latest reports of abuse and extortion of bribes by members of South Africa Police Service (SAPS). The Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) were responding to secretly filmed footage that appeared on this week's Special Assignment programme on SABC-3 television.

The lawyers statement said these expositions come as no surprise and police corruption and ill treatment of foreigners is not a new phenomenon. LHR spokesman Jacob van Garderen told us that the problem is not isolated as the lawyers receive complaints regularly from immigrants and refugees who are targeted by police corruption in just about every urban police station around South Africa. He said police are used to just arresting, detaining and deporting foreigners, without any knowledge of how to help them in other ways.

The lawyers called for immediate disciplinary steps and criminal charges against the implicated police officers, and for a comprehensive investigation into the police's handling of foreign nationals in South Africa. They recommended that police officers be educated and sensitised on issues of xenophobia and the role of the police in protecting the rights and interests of foreigners. The lawyers believe there exists a gap in this sort of training.