LAND PARTY Press Release: #PrivateSecurityMustFall

To: All media

From: Land Party National Spokesperson

Date: 2019/02/07

Embargo: None

The Land Party is appalled to hear that a Durban University of Technology (DUT) student was killed by Private Security in a protest at the University’s Steve Biko Campus on Tuesday. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to the family of the deceased during this tragically sad and difficult time.

The increasing number of private security firms and the blatantly illegal violence and force employed by these firms is entirely unacceptable and should seriously be addressed by government as a matter of urgency.

We cannot remain complacent when the future thought leaders of our country are killed for using their constitutional right to protest against the issues that we all face as a result of poor governance, corruption and capitalist greed.

Opportunists using our current socio-political climate to make money through unnecessary security measures must be stopped in their tracks and held to account for the lives they have claimed and for exploiting people through fear.

It was not long ago that the Land Party visited Clifton Beach to stand up against private security illegally removing people from the beach over the Christmas period. We have particularly seen a massive rise in the number of private security firms in Hermanus in the Western Cape, including a new Afriforum security group illegally removing black and brown people who walk through the predominantly white neighbourhoods to get to town.

Why is it that government allows such illegal activity to continue? Are SAPS complicit in these activities? We would also like to know. Let us be very clear that we will use the full might of the law to act against such activities and exploitation. Every South African citizen deserves to be protected from rogue individuals looking to kill under the guise of providing security and making money.

We will be investigating this tragedy and other related instances where security officials have used violence and illegal measures to exploit innocent South Africans, as well as government’s complicity in these acts.

End.