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SA soldiers attack unarmed civilians, patrol streets: videos

Shocking video footage shows the unconstitutional use of the SA military to patrol civilian streets and attack, arrest unarmed foreign traders: SA pres Jacob Zuma was slammed for using SANDF on the streets of Johannesburg and Khayelitsha in Cape Town. The stated reasons were raids on ‘illegal’ foreign traders: the xenophobe SA cops, soldiers and firemen were seen firing tear gas, stun grenades, attacking, beating and chasing away unarmed foreign traders in downtown Johannesburg, and soldiers even arrested a human rights worker; were filmed breaking open and removing shops’  contents without search warrants and other human-rights violations.  SA MILITARY MEN PATROLLING DOWNTOWN JOHANNESBURG RAIDING SHOPS OF UNARMED FOREIGN TRADERS FEB 12 2012 with cops firedept VIDEO by Adrian de Kock

 SA SOLDIERS BREAK OPEN SHOPS OF FOREIGN TRADERS JOHANNESBURG PATROL STREETS ATTACK CIVILIANS Jan 13 2012 PIC 4 (2)

Jan 12 2012 – The SA military were patrolling the streets of downtown Johannesburg, purportedly as part of ‘Operation Festive Season’ with the police and fire department. ‘There was no state of emergency announced by the SA president to use the SANDF – which is a Constitutional requirement before soldiers can start patrolling civilian areas. Two video clips show the brutality with which these xenophobic soldiers and police-officers attacked the shops of unarmed foreign traders, fired tear-gas and stun-grenades. And Johannesburg journalist Yusuf Omar reported that a human rights worker was arrested for photographing a South African soldier beating up a foreign shopkeeper with the butt of his R4 rifle.

Below: Video one by Adrian de Kock: Jan 12 2012 - The crowds in downtown Johannesburg's Jeppe Street scatter after police threw a stun grenade into the unarmed group of people.  The SA Police Service and the SA National Defence Force were 'raiding' the shops of unarmed foreign traders in the area, for reasons unknown:accompanied by the military, the local metro-cops and the fire brigade.  This mob of uniformed men broke open the shops, using axle grinders and crow bars. Video. Adrian de Kock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnwYfU5f-g

SA military patrolling the streets of Johannesburg, beating up civilians:
January 12 2012 - VIDEO by Yusuf Omar: A taxi driver was dragged into a puddle and ordered to swim because he laughed at a police officer. A woman was pepper-sprayed and beaten with a stick because she wanted to close her shop. And a human rights worker had his phone confiscated and was arrested for taking photographs of a soldier beating a shopkeeper with the butt of his R4 assault rifle.Parts of down Joburg resembled a war zone on Thursday as the SA National Defence Force, the SAPS Tactical Response Team and customs officials took part in "Operation Festive Season" for a second day on Thursday- To reuse content contact Yusuf Omar on   (+27) 0822652133 or email yusuf.omar@inl.co.za

SA SOLDIERS BREAK OPEN SHOPS OF FOREIGN TRADERS JOHANNESBURG PATROL STREETS ATTACK CIVILIANS Jan 13 2012 PIC 4SA SOLDIERS PATROL JOHANNESBURG STREETS ADRIAN DE KOCK VIDEO youtube Jan122012

UNIFORMED SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIERS BREAKING OPEN AND LOOTING SHOPS OF CIVILIAN FOREIGN TRADERS IN JOHANNESBURGSA SOLDIERS PIC5 PATROL STREETS JOHANNESBURG BREAK OPEN FOREIGN OWNED SHOPS ATTACK CIVILIANS JAN 13 2012

Military forces deployed in civilian areas are Constutitional violations: also in 2011:

January 24 2012 SA Pres Jacob Zuma has come under fire for flouting constitutional requirements over the deployment of the military in civilian areas.Letters sent by the Presidency to Speaker Max Sisulu informing Parliament about three major deployments last year authorised by Zuma showed that they were sent between three and six weeks after their respective deployments had commenced.

The constitution requires that only the president can authorise the deployment of the military, and also that Parliament must be informed “promptly and in appropriate detail” by the president about the deployment. Opposition Party Democratic Alliance wrote to Sisulu requesting him to act against Zuma for “repeated failure to respect Parliament’s standing in relation to defence force deployments”. DA MP David Maynier said letters from Zuma tabled in Parliament yesterday showed how constitutional provisions were violated during the deployments as Zuma “failed to inform Parliament about the details of deployments”.

The three deployments of the SA National Defence Force occurred in 2011:

  • Over the festive season, in co-operation with the SAPS between November 1, 2011 until January 1, 2012;
  • During COP17, with the SAPS, from November 21 to December 11 last year.
  • In the Democratic Republic of Congo from November 23 to December 7, 2011.

“The president also failed to comply with the Defence Act of 2002 in that he did not, as prescribed in section 18(4) of that act, provide any information as to expenditure incurred or expected to be incurred by the employment of the SANDF,” Maynier said.He added that Zuma’s letters showed that Ndivhuwo Mabaya, the latest spokesman for the defence ministry, “had no idea what he was talking about when he reportedly claimed last week that the festive season deployment of the defence force was authorised by a presidential proclamation made in 2001 or 2002”.

Maynier was referring to a Cape Times article in which legal experts slammed recent deployments of the military in civilian areas as “unconstitutional” and “intimidatory”.The article referred to the following incidents of military deployment in Cape Town and Johannesburg:

  • In Lavender Hill in November, to quell a flare-up of gang violence.
  • l In Claremont, as part of a crime-prevention operation last month.
  • l At Khayelitsha District Hospital this month, when two armoured vehicles and a number of armed soldiers monitored a protest;
  • l In Johannesburg, a human rights worker had his phone confiscated and was arrested for taking photographs of a soldier beating a shopkeeper with a rifle.

“ Imagine every time the SAPS want to call on soldiers, they must call on the president…’

Defending these deployments, Mabaya was quoted as saying that a proclamation from “2001 or 2002” enabled “soldiers to do anything, as long as they are asked by police”. “Imagine if every time the police want to to call on soldiers, they must call on the president,” he said. However, it is clear from Zuma’s letters that a specific authorisation is, in fact, required. In the article, constitutional law Professor Pierre de Vos pointed out that the notion of a blanket authorisation of employment of the defence force “subverted the meaning of the constitution or law”.De Vos said the section of the constitution was “to prevent the situation (which) occurred in apartheid, when the military was used against civilians”.The SA National Defence Force Union has also weighed in on the controversy, issuing a statement saying the deployment of soldiers into civilian areas was unlawful and unconstitutional. Bongani Majola, a spokesman in the Presidency, referred queries to the Department of defence. journalist email: kwanele.butana@inl.co.za http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/zuma-slammed-for-illegal-deployment-of-troops-1.1219077

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnwUfU5f-g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-fcnwYfl