Saps Special Task Force Explained – History, Functions and Controversies
Like in every sector of society, there will always be bad eggs who abuse their authority and taint the larger group’s good name. These bad eggs are the reason why members of the general public think the police are against them. Similarly, the SAPS Special Task Force (STF) has played a major role in maintaining peace and order in and out of South Africa, but some bad eggs in the squad try to do just the opposite and thwart their main purpose.
The Marikana Massacre
In 2012, 34 striking mineworkers lost their lives, and 112 others were injured in what has been described as the Marikana Massacre, regarded as the worst attack of the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) on civilians since the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. The SAPS Special Task Force allegedly carried out the attack, and this was brought to the fore by a SAPS constable, who was part of the SAPS team sent to arrest the workers.
According to the constable who gave this eyewitness account in 2018, a mineworker hiding behind a rock and begging for his life was summarily executed by a member of the STF at close range with a rifle. Furthermore, he saw the SAPS Special Task Force vehicle fully equipped with what looked like a light machine gun at the top of the roof. They were practically shooting live ammunition on helpless mineworkers intending to kill them. He said witnessing the incident has caused him so much emotional trauma.
What they had done remained a secret, and they were never held accountable for using sophisticated guns on civilians. To make matters worse, the Police minister at the time, Nathi Mthethwa, and the national police commissioner, General Riah Phiyega, praised the police for a job well done, days after the unfortunate massacre.
Reports of Bullying
In 2020, Matiphandile Sotheni, a police officer who was forced out of the tactical team, claimed that the tactical unit’s head didn’t want him as a part of the squad because he was a representative of a union and always questioned things. He claimed that the unit head oppressed him so much that he had to leave the police force and decided to join a private security agency.
These incidents and so many like them have been met with deafening silence by the authorities with hypocritical suspensions handed here and there (for the Marikana Massacre). Others are left to slide with no repercussion whatsoever.
