Active case
South African Police Service: Institutional Record of Brutality, Corruption and the Marikana Massacre
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa, operating over 1,000 police stations organised by province under a National Commissioner headquartered in Pretoria. SAPS traces its institutional lineage to colonial-era policing bodies including the Dutch Watch (1655) and the Cape Constabulary, through the South African Police (SAP) established after the 1910 Union of South Africa, into the post-apartheid SAPS formed in the mid-1990s under Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi.
SAPS has been the subject of repeated documented criticism regarding brutality and human rights abuses. In 2013, Amnesty International expressed concern about South African police brutality, including allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings. Wits Law Clinic representative Peter Jordi stated that police torture was "spiralling out of control," and independent studies have documented SAPS use in suppressing peaceful demonstrations, including a 2009 incident involving unFreedom Day and an attack on elected leadership of a Durban shack settlement. In 2011, 630 police officers from Gauteng Province were arrested on charges including fraud, corruption, rape and murder.
Two specific incidents are documented as resulting in criminal convictions or charges. In February 2013, police in Daveyton, Gauteng, were filmed handcuffing Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia to the back of a police van and dragging him through the streets; he later died of his injuries. Eight police officers were arrested and subsequently convicted of murder in connection with his death. Separately, three police officers were arrested over the shooting of Nathaniel Julies, a 16-year-old with Down syndrome, in Eldorado Park.
The most significant single incident documented is the Marikana massacre of 16 August 2012, in which police opened fire while breaking up a gathering of striking Lonmin mineworkers near Marikana, killing 34 miners and injuring 78. Reports indicated many victims were shot from behind or at a distance from police lines. The killings followed earlier violence beginning 11 August, during which leaders from the National Union of Mineworkers reportedly opened fire on striking members, killing two, and a further roughly eight people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed between 12 and 14 August. Marikana is described as the deadliest police-civilian incident in South Africa since the 1960 Sharpeville massacre.
SAPS has also faced extensive documented corruption cases among senior officials, including the 2010 corruption conviction of former National Commissioner and Interpol president Jackie Selebi, the 2011 dismissal of Commissioner Bheki Cele over an unlawful lease agreement, and multiple arrests of senior officers between 2018 and 2020 on fraud, corruption, and money-laundering charges. Charges were also lodged in 2022 against a National Police Commissioner for failing to cooperate with an investigation into the murder of police intelligence officer Charl Kinnear. In 2025, a provincial police commissioner publicly accused senior officials and a government minister of aiding criminal syndicates, prompting the minister's suspension by the president.
Key facts
- Victims
- Charl Kinnear, Mido Macia, Nathaniel Julies
- Date
- 2007
- Location
- Pretoria, South Africa (SAPS headquarters)
- Case status
- ongoing
Case timeline
1910
South African Police (SAP) created following establishment of the Union of South Africa.
1994
Post-apartheid reorganisation of policing begins under new Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi.
1996
Investigative Psychology Unit founded within South African policing structures.
2007-09-10
Arrest warrant issued for National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi by the National Prosecuting Authority.
2010-07
Jackie Selebi found guilty of corruption; acquitted of related charges of perverting the course of justice.
2011-10
President Jacob Zuma announces suspension of Commissioner Bheki Cele pending investigation into a police headquarters lease agreement.
2012-08-16
Marikana massacre: police shooting of striking Lonmin miners near Marikana kills 34 and injures 78.
2013-02
Mido Macia, a Mozambican taxi driver, dies after being dragged behind a police van in Daveyton, Gauteng; eight officers later convicted of murder.
2013
Amnesty International expresses concern over South African police brutality, including torture and extrajudicial killings.
2018-02
SAPS Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane and his wife appear in court on fraud and corruption charges.
2020-07-30
Khomotso Phahlane dismissed from police and found guilty of dishonest conduct.
2020-10-12
Lieutenant-General Bonang Mgwenya arrested on charges of corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering.
2020-11-13
Bonang Mgwenya dismissed from SAPS.
2022
Criminal charges lodged against National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole over non-cooperation with investigation into the murder of Charl Kinnear.
2025-07-06
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly accuses senior officials and the Police Minister of aiding criminal syndicates.
2025-07-13
President Cyril Ramaphosa places Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave.
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People
Charl Kinnear
VICTIMPolice intelligence officer investigating organised crime within SAPS who was murdered; charges were later lodged over non-cooperation with the investigation into his death.
Khehla Sitole
CHARGEDNational Police Commissioner against whom two criminal charges were lodged in 2022 for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the murder of Charl Kinnear.
Mido Macia
VICTIMMozambican taxi driver who died after being handcuffed to and dragged by a police van in Daveyton, Gauteng, in February 2013.
Jackie Selebi
CONVICTEDFormer National Police Commissioner and Interpol president, found guilty of corruption in July 2010; acquitted of perverting the course of justice.
Bonang Mgwenya
CHARGEDLieutenant-General arrested in October 2020 on charges of corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering; later suspended and dismissed from SAPS.
Nathaniel Julies
VICTIM16-year-old with Down syndrome shot and killed in Eldorado Park; three police officers were arrested in connection with the shooting.
Khomotso Phahlane
CONVICTEDFormer acting SAPS Commissioner and Lieutenant-General, charged with fraud and corruption in 2018; dismissed and found guilty of dishonest conduct in July 2020.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- The South African Police Service, the national police force of South Africa, has faced sustained documented criticism and legal action over police brutality, torture, extrajudicial killings, and corruption, including the 2012 Marikana massacre in which 34 miners were killed by police gunfire and the 2013 killing of taxi driver Mido Macia, for which eight officers were convicted of murder.
- Where did the massacre happen?
- Pretoria, South Africa (SAPS headquarters).
- Who was convicted?
- Jackie Selebi (Former National Police Commissioner and Interpol president, found guilty of corruption in July 2010; acquitted of perverting the course of justice.) and Khomotso Phahlane (Former acting SAPS Commissioner and Lieutenant-General, charged with fraud and corruption in 2018; dismissed and found guilty of dishonest conduct in July 2020.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: ongoing.
Related cases
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICSouth African Police ServiceWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The GuardianThe Guardian · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 10, 2026