An inquiry on the murder of and attacks on police officials

Abstract

This study explores the murder and attack of police officials as personally described and directly or indirectly experienced by police officials. Data was collected using phenomenological interviews with police officials stationed at Dobsonville, Hillbrow, Jeppe, Johannesburg Central, Roodepoort, and Vosloorus police stations in the Johannesburg SAPS cluster in Gauteng. The phenomenological interviews provided rich descriptions of lived experiences of the murder and attack of police officials in South Africa. Research findings indicate that the murder and attack of police officials cause severe emotional and psychological challenges to police officials who have directly or indirectly experienced this phenomenon. Consequently, police officials are impacted on a personal as well as occupational level, causing, among others, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), low morale, feelings of insecurity. Furthermore, powerlessness among police officials that in turn, among others, affects effective service delivery, police-community relations, and personnel turnover. In addition, the research findings indicate that the SAPS experiences shortcomings when attempting to implement strategies to mitigate the phenomenon. Based on these findings, this study puts forward proactive and reactive recommendations to address police murders and attacks in South Africa by proposing a theoretical framework to mitigate this phenomenon thus contributing to the current body of knowledge in South Africa.

Dinyakisiso di utolla polao le ditlhaselo tsa bahlankedi ba maphodisa go ya ka fao go hlalosago maphodisa ka bobona, ebile ba itemogetse ditlhaselo tse thwii goba ka tsela ye nngwe. Tshedimoso e kgobokeditswe ka go swara dipoledisano ka ga seemo se le bahlankedi ba maphodisa bao ba lego ka diteseng tsa maphodisa tsa Dobsonville, Hillbrow, Jeppe, Bogare bja toropo ya Johannesburg, Roodepoort le ka Vosloorus ka lekaleng la Tirelo ya Maphodisa ya Afrika Borwa la ka Johannesburg ka Gauteng. Dipoledisano ka ga seemo di fane ka ditlhaloso tse di tletsego tsa maitemogelo a bakgathatema ka ga polao le ditlhaselo tsa bahlankedi ba maphodisa ka Afrika Borwa. Dikutollo tsa dinyakisiso di utoloa gore polao le ditlhaselo tsa bahlankedi ba maphodisa di baka mathata a magolo a maikutlo le a monagano go bahlankedi ba maphodisa bao ba itemogetsego seemo se thwii goba ka tsela ye nngwe. Ka lebaka la se, bahlankedi ba maphodisa ba a amega ka bobona le ka mosomong wa bona – gomme se gareng ga tse dingwe, se baka kgatelelo ya monagano, bolwetsi bja kgatelelo ye kgolo ka morago ga tiragalo, go hloka mafolofolo ka mosomong, maikutlo a go hloka tshireletsego le go hloka maatla gareng ga bahlankedi ba maphodisa, gomme seo ka moragonyana, gareng ga tse dingwe, se ama kabo ya ditirelo ye e somago gabotse, dikamano tsa maphodisa le setshaba le go tswela pele ga bahlankedi ba maphodisa go soma ka mo tirelong ye. Godimo ga fao, dikutollo tsa dinyakisiso di laetsa gore Tirelo ya Maphodisa ya Afrika Borwa e itemogela ditlamorago mabapi le go phethagatsa maano gabotse a go fokotsa dipolao le ditlhaselo tsa bahlankedi ba maphodisa. Go ya ka dikutollo tse, dinyakisiso tse di bea pele ditshisinyo tsa boitlhamelo le tsa go arabela seemo ka nepo ya go rarolla bothata bja dipolao le ditlhaselo tsa bahlankedi ba maphodisa ka Afrika Borwa ka go sisinya tlhako ya teori ya go fokotsa seemo se go realo e le ge e tsenya letsogo ka go sehlopha sa tsebo ka ga seemo se ka Afrika Borwa.

Lolu cwaningo lucubungula futhi lubukisise izenzo zokubulawa nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa, ezichazwa yiwona ngokwawo amaphoyisa, futhi okuyizigameko ahlangabezane nazo ngqo amaphoyisa noma-ke ahlangabezane nazo ngezinye izindlela nezimo ezihlobene nalokhu. Imininingo yocwaningo yaqoqwa ngokuxoxisana namaphoyisa ahlangabezane nezigameko ezinjengalezi asebenzela kulezi ziteshi zamaphoyisa ezilandelayo, Dobsonville, Hillbrow, Jeppe, Johannesburg Central, Roodepoort kanye ne-Vosloorus ezingaphansi kweqoqo laseGoli leziteshi zamaphoyisa zoMbutho Wamaphoyisa aseNingizimu Afrika esifundazweni saseGauteng. Ukuxoxisana namaphoyisa ahlangabezane nezigameko ezinjengalezi kwahlinzeka ngencazelo enohlonze futhi enothileyo yezigameko abadlule kuzona ababambiqhaza, bona uqobo lwabo, eziphathelene nokubulawa kanye nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa eNingizimu Afrika. Imiphumela etholakale ocwaningweni ibonisa ukuthi ukubulawa nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa kudala izinselele ezinkulu eziphathelene nesimo somphefumulo kanye nesengqondo samaphoyisa ahlangabezane ngqo nezenzo zokubulawa nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa noma-ke ahlangabezane nalezi zenzo ngezinye izindlela ezihlobene nalokhu. Ngenxa yalokho-ke, amaphoyisa azithola ekhahlamezekile wona siqu sawo futhi ekhahlamezeke nangokomsebenzi – okuyinto eyenza ukuthi, phakathi kokunye, amaphoyisa abe nengcindezi yomphefumulo, ukukhathazeka nokuhlukumezeka emoyeni okudalwa yizimo ezibuhlungu eziwehlelile, ukungabi nogqozi kwakwenzayo, angabi nokuzethemba futhi azizwe engenamandla, futhi-ke lokhu okuyizinto, phakathi kokunye, eziphazamisa ubudlelwano phakathi kwamaphoyisa nomphakathi futhi eziholela ekutheni amaphoyisa esule emsebenzini. Ngaphezu kwalokhu, imiphumela etholakale ocwaningweni ibonisa futhi ukuthi uMbutho Wamaphoyisa aseNingizimu Afrika uhlangabezana nezingqinamba ekuqaliseni ngempumelelo ukusebenza kwamaqhingasu okuhloswe ngawo ukuqeda isihlava sokubulawa nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa. Ngokususela kule miphumela etholakele, lolu cwaningo lunikeza izincomo mayelana nezinyathelo ezingasetshenziswa ukuzinqanda zingakenzeki izigameko zokubulawa nokuhlaselwa kwamaphoyisa eNingizimu Afrika futhi lunikeza nezinyathelo ezingathathwa uma sezenzekile lezi zigameko, ukuze kuvinjelwe ukuqhubeka kwazo; ucwaningo lukwenza lokho ngokuphakamisa uhlaka lwethiyori yolwazi lokunciphisa nokunqanda lesi sihlava, okuwulwazi oluzokwengeza olwazini oluphathelene nalokhu olukhona njengamanje eNingizimu Afrika.