A police officer and a security guard are appearing in court in South Africa accused of shooting and killing a 40-year-old man in front of his mother on the family’s veranda.<\/p>\n
It’s alleged the pair had accused the man beforehand of not following lockdown rules. They now face murder and police brutality charges.<\/p>\n
Four nieces and nephews of the dead man suffered shrapnel injuries as a result of the shooting in Vosloorus township, Gauteng province, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The killing has caused widespread anger, and comes amidst a number of reports of police brutality since the nationwide lockdown began five days ago.<\/p>\n
The Independent Police Directorate (IPID) is investigating more than 20 cases against the police and the army.<\/p>\n
Videos shared on social media show physical confrontations between security forces and citizens. In some places police have used rubber bullets to disperse crowds.<\/p>\n
In his address to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked South Africa’s security personnel but also said they “must not cause harm to any of our people”.<\/p>\n
There are more than 1,200 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in South Africa and there’s speculation that the lockdown, which is expected to last for 21 days, could be extended to prevent the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"