No reported police brutality during varsity protests: IPID
The police watchdog has seemingly backed claims by Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko that police officers have acted with restraint during the fees protests at the country's universities.
Nhleko made the comments in Kempton Park during a media briefing on Friday, following a meeting of the security cluster on the latest round of nationwide students protests.
Spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), Robbie Raburabu, says they have not received any complaints against any police officers who have been deployed to campuses to monitor protests and quell any outbreaks of violence.
"We have seen how hard managing these protests can be and yet we have not had any official complaints come to us. The nature of the protests is violent," he said. "I am not sure we can say police have been brutal in dealing with the violence but if the protests become violent what do you expect the police to do?"
Last week, a video emerged of a Rhodes University student being dragged across a tarred road by police, before being bundled into the back of a police van following protests at the campus.
Some have accused them of being heavy-handed, but the SAPS has denied this.
(File photo)