Ongoing Police Torture in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Troubling Legacy

A New York Times analysis reveals that the torture technique known as “tubing,” used during apartheid, continues to emerge in police practices in South Africa, with a reported 1,700 cases documented, indicating systemic issues in oversight and accountability.

In a shocking revelation, The New York Times has reported that a method of torture once employed by apartheid-era authorities is still practiced by South Africa's police force, suggesting a troubling continuity of human rights violations. Despite the end of apartheid more than three decades ago and the establishment of laws meant to abolish such brutal tactics, reports show that a suffocation method known as "tubing" has resurfaced.

Initially, tubing involved officers using a piece of a tire tube to suffocate individuals, but now it has evolved into using a plastic bag over the victim's head. A collaboration with Viewfinder, a South African nonprofit dedicated to highlighting police misconduct, led to the analysis of extensive data on police complaints, revealing around 1,700 allegations of tubing-related incidents between 2011 and 2022. Experts assert that this figure is likely conservative, as many victims often refrain from lodging complaints due to fear or mistrust of the system.

This investigation casts a shadow over the post-apartheid landscape in South Africa, where a government led by former freedom fighters, celebrated for their role in ending institutionalized racism, is now implicated in overseeing a police force that maintains oppressive practices. The persistence of such torture methods raises crucial questions about accountability, human rights, and the health of democracy in the country, underscoring the need for immediate actions to address this grave issue.