Earlier this month, the City of Johannesburg commenced a public consultation process to rename De Beer Street in Braamfontein to Mthokozisi Ntumba Street. The 10th of March 2025 marked four years since Mr Ntumba was shot and killed during the Wits student protests that had spilled into the Braamfontein area. In CCTV footage of the incident, police can be seen indiscriminately firing rubber bullets at students when Mr Ntumba was shot having just left doctors rooms on De Beer Street. Mr Ntumba was a 35-year-old husband and father to four young children. SERI supports the renaming of De Beer Street in honour of Mthokozisi Ntumba.
In July 2022, the High Court acquitted South African Police Services (SAPS) officers Tshepisho Kekana, Boitumelo Cidraas Motseothatha, Joseph Madimetja Legodi, and Nkosinathi Victor Mohammed, who stood trial for the murder of Mr Ntumba. The officers were also charged with the attempted murder of three students who were also shot and injured on the same day. The officers successfully applied for acquittal under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977, arguing that the state lacked credible evidence implicating them. This acquittal was disappointing and serves as evidence of the dire state of accountability for police brutality and misconduct. According to Viewfinder’s Police Accountability Tracker, fewer than 5% of officers accused of wrongdoing are held accountable through internal SAPS disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
In October 2022, the state applied for leave to appeal, with proceedings yet to be concluded. Furthermore, the Ntumba family has launched civil proceedings against the Minister of Police in pursuit of justice for their devastating loss. A mediation process between the parties is set to commence in April this year.
In the 2023/24 financial year, the SAPS paid almost R620 million in civil claims, which is nearly double the R364 million budget for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate in the same period. These figures are evidence of a failure to address the high cost of police brutality and misconduct.
SERI encourages members of the public to support the street renaming by taking part in the public participation process that will end on 31 March 2025. To this end, a draft template email can be accessed here. Submissions must be emailed to Dominica Masalesa (
Contact details:
- Thato Masiangoako, SERI researcher: Thato[at]seri-sa.org/ 082 590 8973.
- Asenati Tukela, SERI attorney: Asenati[at]seri-sa.org / 066 473 5182.
- Musawenkosi Cabe, SERI candidate attorney: Musawenkosi[at]seri-sa.org.
Download the press statement here.