History is full of examples of despots making use of emergency powers to manipulate citizens, which is why states must act responsibly in times of crisis.
A recent protest by South African schoolchildren which had to be quelled by an under-resourced police force.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
It is exactly forty years since the Soweto uprising in June 1976 where the South African police met the students with brutal force. How much has changed in terms of policing?