Policy issues and actors

Abstract

Detention without trial can be a formidable government weapon against political opponents. In South Africa this weapon has been fashioned into a multiple warhead. There are currently seven security law detention provisions on the statute book, of which one is dormant but can be activated by the State President. Non security law detention, for example detention under drug laws, will not be discussed in this paper. While the seven detention laws are of varying severity and serve different purposes, they are best classified and explained under two main categories or groups - preventive detention and pre-trial detention