Viewfinder's first documentary film revisits the murder of Letsekang Thokoane, a young shopkeeper, by police during the farm worker strike in De Doorns in 2013. Why were the killers not held accountable? From the scene of the murder in Elubisi township a paper trail leads us to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate's head office in Pretoria to ask this question.
Featured Content
We condensed our findings on SAPS brutality and non-accountability into a short animation. Come up to speed in around a minute flat.
Read more
Is the Independent Police investigative Directorate (IPID) using autopsy findings of “natural causes” as a way to short circuit police brutality investigations? The decision to clear police of wrongdoing in the circumstances leading up to the death of Petrus Miggels in Ravensmead on the first day of lockdown raises questions about the police watchdog’s processes.
Read more
Viewfinder exposes how underfunding, State Capture and statistical manipulation at IPID allowed violent criminals in the South African Police Service escape accountability.
Read moreLatest from this investigation
The police watchdog’s commitment to better case management practices has gone half-way. But, with political will and proper oversight, there is always the possibility for IPID to implement better performance indicators. Meanwhile, the full effect of funding shortfalls at IPID was laid bare at Wednesday’s meeting with Parliament.
Read More
After a Viewfinder exposé and pressure from Parliament, IPID made a u-turn on its decision to clear police of wrongdoing in the circumstances leading up to the death of Petrus Miggels in Ravensmead on the first day of national lockdown. An investigation of police assault is now underway.
Read More
Collins Khosa was allegedly beaten to death by soldiers enforcing lockdown regulations in Alexandra township in April. Now, his family has approached the High Court in Pretoria for a wide ranging order to curtail abuses by police and military, and to improve oversight. The court bid touches on long standing failings of South Africa’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
Read More
In addition to allegations of five lockdown related killings, IPID’s slideshow to Parliament highlighted 398 other lockdown and non-lockdown related complaints against the police during a three week period. An MP also questioned police minister Bheki Cele about the Petrus Miggels death case, the subject of Viewfinder’s latest investigative article.
Read More
Latest from our partner newsroom, GroundUp
Like almost everyone who sees it, I'm completely delighted by The Continent, the WhatsApp-only African news weekly published in partnership with the M&G.
@pontsho_pilane's write-up on how it's taken shape and where it'll go from here: https://blog.wan-ifra.org/2020/08/12/combatting-africa-s-infodemic-with-a-whatsapp-only-publication-1
Partners in this investigation
