INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Almost every morning, a detachment of South African soldiers make their way through the densely populated township of Alexandra.It is better
known as 'Alex' and it is situated just a stone's throw from the main financial district in Johannesburg.The members of this ramshackle
community, who number between 200,000 and 300,000, seem to ebb and flow around the troops, who ask and plead and order the residents to stay
inside their shacks.Image:Troops patrol the streets of Alexandra townshipImage:An undercover police officer in Johannesburg was filmed
attacking a man with a whipBut the men and women in uniform are easy to ignore
People duck down mud-strewn alleyways and pop back up when the soldiers had passed.The majority here share one room shacks with family or
friends - and they are not prepared to spend all day indoors.The realities of life in townships like 'Alex' make South Africa's lockdown
extremely difficult to enforce and we have witnessed members of the police and the military lose their patience and strike out at residents
who are not following their commands.:: Warning - Images below of bruising from a beatingIn one claustrophobic corner of Alexandra, we
filmed an infantryman stride up to a resident and punch and kick him without warning.When we asked the young man for an interview, he said
he was too scared to speak.Nationwide, the country's police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), is examining
several dozen incidents since the lockdown began - a number which includes the deaths of at least eight members of the public.Members of the
Mbele family, who live near the city of Durban on the east coast, told our team that they had been assaulted and beaten by members of the
local police last week."What is the lockdown for?", asked mother-of-two Zonke Mbele, who was filming with her phone as the incident
began.Image:Vumani Mbele was left 'battered and bruised' after police beat him
Pic: Vumani Mbele"Is the lockdown about abusing people - or is it about preventing people from transmitting the disease?"Police officers
entered their property when they spotted family members standing in their garden
An officer tripped up her husband, Vumani, while another policeman came for her.Image:Vumani Mbele says he fears he has fractured ribsMrs
Mbele says she was assaulted and stripped of her phone.It was at that point, say the couple, that the beating began
The police took their whips to the torso of Vumani Mbele, battering and bruising his body."I am not okay
My body is still very sore
It feels like my ribs are fractured
I am not okay," the 30-year old said.Image:A soldier attacks a man in the street in JohannesburgMr Mbele described the experience as "pure
humiliation" and told our team that he was frightened."I am living in fear
I'm terrified because they may attack me again on my way to work
I tried to open a case at the police station nearby and they said come back after 21 days."The Mbeles think the police are trying to ignore
their complaint of mistreatment by telling them will have to wait until the end of the lockdown to do anything about it.We decided to
approach the IPID to see if the local police were dealing correctly with the Mbele's case
The directorate's spokesman, Sontaga Seisa, suggested they were not."That is unfortunate the police are not supposed to be saying this is
not the time for you as a person who has been abused or been assaulted that no, we cannot assist you, just come back at the end of the
No, it doesn't work like that."The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, asked members of the security services to respect the civil
rights of all citizens when he announced the lockdown back in March.But their heavy-handed approach undermines the public's support for this
