Africa's heavy-handed lockdown policing must not become the new normal | Karen Allen and Anton du Plessis
The coronavirus response in South Africa is an eerie throwback to apartheid. State control needs to be carefully monitored across the continent
In times of fear, rules go out of the window and the default position is often one of force. A recent doorstep tribute in a Johannesburg suburb to applaud the efforts of essential workers was dubbed an illegal gathering" by police summoned to break up the event. A resident remarked that it was an eerie reminder of South Africa's past - a throwback to the times of apartheid.
The rules keep changing," admitted one officer when it was suggested that the response was heavy-handed. No harm was done but the incident highlights the potential shifts in power dynamics that fear brings, as well as the disconnect between good intentions and how they are implemented.
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