Viewfinder is a new accountability journalism project, incubated in GroundUp but intending to become its own independent publication in time. Viewfinder does long term investigations into abuses of power which impact on the public interest – specifically as it relates to the need for equality and redress – in post-apartheid South African society.
Viewfinder's first exposé, launched in October 2019, shows how IPID, the police watchdog, has failed to properly investigate serious complaints against the police, including rape and assault. Yet IPID has manipulated statistics to give the impression that has investigated these allegations.
Check out the Viewfinder website.
A group of police officers in a rural Eastern Cape township were accused of beating a man so badly that they broke his ribs and ruptured his small intestine.
2 June 2021
Sitole told Parliament that an “independent” discipline unit needs to be established
1 June 2021
But Parliament has failed to enforce its recommendations in the past
25 May 2021
Police minister brushes off Viewfinder’s devastating findings on police brutality
18 May 2021
Every year, police in South Africa kill hundreds of people and are accused of brutalising thousands more.
11 May 2021
The cases we know about are likely far outnumbered by those we don’t
13 April 2021
39 children died at the hands of police or in custody between April 2012 and March 2018
7 September 2020
Does Jennifer Ntlatseng have what it takes to run the police watchdog?
21 July 2020
Investigator has still not returned to the scene of the assault or interviewed key witnesses, according to Miggels’ family
10 June 2020
This comes after two investigators were pulled from task team
29 May 2020
Funding shortfalls call into question IPID’s ability to fulfil its mandate
14 May 2020
“Even though we know that nothing will bring him back, this is still welcome news” says step-daughter
8 May 2020
Many allegations that accountability has got worse during lockdown
6 May 2020
Police were accused of killing five people during the enforcement of the first three weeks of Covid-19 lockdown
30 April 2020
“How can they say that he just dropped dead?” asks his stepdaughter after witnesses describe how Petrus Miggels was beaten by police
29 April 2020
