‘We get sucked into everybody’s mess’: Protests and Public Order Policing in South Africa

Based on interviews with 43 serving members at four Public Order Police units, this article highlights the perspectives of officers involved in arguably the most contentious and visible aspect of South African policing. As the primary arm of the police responsible for crowd management, Public Order members are at the coalface of a country inundated with protests. Respondents describe an environment in which they are forced to contend with politicians’ negligence and incitement of protest, the vagaries of mediation and the hostility of many protestors, all while they often share the frustrations of the crowds they are required to manage. Examining these representations provides critical insight into how these police, who are a central component of the civil strife afflicting South Africa, interpret the challenges of the job. Public Order Police are an integral element in protests but not just as the strong arm of the state suppressing dissent. Rather, they fulfil multiple functions in an intricate protest landscape over which they exercise limited control.