Ben Winks is an independent advocate specialising in constitutional and international law, and a visiting researcher at the University of Johannesburg.
Ten years ago, South Africans watched in horror as major news outlets broadcast blow-by-blow footage of the brutal killing of Andries Tatane. The 33-year-old maths and science teacher from Ficksburg in the Free State had been leading a peaceful community protest against water shortages and other government failures.
We watched him being pummelled with batons by half a dozen armoured policemen and shot in the chest from less than 2m away with a shotgun round of rubber pellets. We then watched him bleed, stumble, collapse and take his last breath. He left behind a wife, two children and a community clamouring for answers and accountability.