Police brutality, violence against foreigners, intimidation of the public prosecutor and delays in antenatal care provided to women are some of the issues threatening human rights in South Africa.
These are the findings of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Amnesty International in its latest annual report released on Wednesday.
While the report praised South Africa for decreasing its prevalence of hate crimes with various government interventions and providing life-long anti-retroviral treatment to pregnant women living with HIV, violence remained an overarching problem in the country.
This was particularly relating to aggressive policing of protest action and discriminatory policing of looting targeted at foreigners, Amnesty International says.
Last year in a period of just four months, 1600 foreigners were displaced in seven of South Africa's provinces due to violence, the report says.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International deputy director for Southern Africa Noel Kututwa said that the organisation urged the government to implement a plan to stop attacks on foreign-owned businesses and homes.
He also said that the NGO hoped that the Marikana Commission of Inquiry's report, expected to be completed this year, made recommendations for improved policing and that government would act on these.
Violence is also a problem for South Africa's regional neighbours which, according to the report, have seen increased disappearances and killings of those who challenge their governments.
“We are seeing a disturbing emerging pattern in Southern Africa where people are being criminalised for exercising their freedom of assembly, association and expression,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's director for Southern Africa.
“The misuse of force has also been adopted as a means to crush dissent. This has to stop,” he said.
According to the report, police in Angola have consistently used force to suppress peaceful demonstrations against those who challenged President José Eduardo do Santos' 36-year-long rule. In Zambia, opposition leader Frank Bwalya was arrested, charged and finally acquitted for allegedly defaming President Michael Sata by comparing him to a sweet potato in a radio broadcast.
Police brutality, foreigner attacks threat to human rights in SA - report
Police brutality, violence against foreigners, intimidation of the public prosecutor and delays in antenatal care provided to women are some of the issues threatening human rights in South Africa.
These are the findings of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Amnesty International in its latest annual report released on Wednesday.
While the report praised South Africa for decreasing its prevalence of hate crimes with various government interventions and providing life-long anti-retroviral treatment to pregnant women living with HIV, violence remained an overarching problem in the country.
This was particularly relating to aggressive policing of protest action and discriminatory policing of looting targeted at foreigners, Amnesty International says.
Last year in a period of just four months, 1600 foreigners were displaced in seven of South Africa's provinces due to violence, the report says.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International deputy director for Southern Africa Noel Kututwa said that the organisation urged the government to implement a plan to stop attacks on foreign-owned businesses and homes.
He also said that the NGO hoped that the Marikana Commission of Inquiry's report, expected to be completed this year, made recommendations for improved policing and that government would act on these.
Violence is also a problem for South Africa's regional neighbours which, according to the report, have seen increased disappearances and killings of those who challenge their governments.
“We are seeing a disturbing emerging pattern in Southern Africa where people are being criminalised for exercising their freedom of assembly, association and expression,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's director for Southern Africa.
“The misuse of force has also been adopted as a means to crush dissent. This has to stop,” he said.
According to the report, police in Angola have consistently used force to suppress peaceful demonstrations against those who challenged President José Eduardo do Santos' 36-year-long rule. In Zambia, opposition leader Frank Bwalya was arrested, charged and finally acquitted for allegedly defaming President Michael Sata by comparing him to a sweet potato in a radio broadcast.