SA police urged to uphold rights during June 30 protests

South Africa’s Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, has called on law enforcement officers to remain professional, restrained and lawful during the planned nationwide demonstrations scheduled for Tuesday, June 30.

Cachalia addressed officers at a parade in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday ahead of what is expected to be a significant public order policing deployment across the country.

“On Tuesday, South Africans in various parts of the country will exercise their constitutional right to assemble, demonstrate and express their views,” Cachalia told the gathered officers.

He was clear that the police’s mandate is not to suppress lawful protest but to facilitate it safely. “The South African Police Service is not deployed to prevent lawful demonstrations. We are deployed to ensure that they take place safely, securely and in an orderly manner,” he said.

Cachalia reminded officers that their authority flows from the Constitution and that professionalism, discipline and restraint are non-negotiable in a democratic state. “Every decision you make, every instruction you issue and every action you take must be lawful, proportionate and accountable,” he said.

He urged officers to treat all persons with dignity and fairness while warning against being provoked into misconduct. At the same time, he called for firm and lawful action against anyone who uses the demonstrations as cover for violence, intimidation or vandalism.

The acting minister acknowledged that crowd situations can shift quickly and stressed the importance of strong planning, communication and coordination between officers and their commanders.

“The public will judge not only the outcome of Tuesday’s operations, but also the manner in which you conduct yourselves,” Cachalia said, adding that professional conduct has the power to build lasting public confidence in policing.

He closed his address by reminding officers of their role as “ambassadors of the South African Police Service and custodians of the constitutional values we have all sworn to protect.”