Hidden Horrors: Ongoing Police Torture in South Africa Revealed

Three decades after the end of apartheid, South African police are still reportedly using torture methods such as "tubing," a suffocation technique with roots in the brutal past, despite legal frameworks aimed at preventing such abuses.

Amidst the legacy of apartheid, concerns have resurfaced regarding the methods employed by South African police forces, revealing a troubling linkage to practices of the past. A recent investigation by a South African non-profit and supported by The New York Times has unveiled that "tubing," a suffocation torture method made infamous during apartheid, remains in use today. Initially executed using tire tubes, it has since evolved to the use of plastic bags over victims' heads.

This report, drawing from an analysis of over 11 years of police complaints, notes around 1,700 allegations of tubing, an underestimation according to experts who believe many victims do not report their experiences. The data further illustrates that, paradoxically, a government hailed for its fight against apartheid now governs a police force involved in systematic abuses against its own citizens. The findings have sparked a renewed conversation about accountability and the urgent need for reform within South Africa's law enforcement agencies.