The trade in tools of torture: A South African case study

The report examines the lack of controls on the manufacture, import, and export of law enforcement equipment in South Africa that facilitates torture. It identifies a domestic industry producing inherently abusive tools, such as stun belts and electrified shields, and highlights the gap between South Africa's international human rights obligations and its domestic trade practices.

• South Africa lacks meaningful controls on the trade of law enforcement equipment, allowing the manufacture, import, and export of tools that have no practical purpose other than torture or ill treatment.
• South African legislation and policies for the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) permit the use of equipment that is either inherently abusive or easily misused for torture.
• There is an active domestic industry of South African companies that manufacture and trade inherently abusive equipment, including direct contact electric shock weapons and body-worn stun belts, for both domestic and international markets.
• Despite the Prevention and Combating of Torture of Persons Act (Act 13 of 2013), there have been no convictions for torture since the law's commencement, despite widespread allegations of misuse of equipment like electric shock devices.
• South Africa is failing to meet its continental obligations under Guideline 14 of the Robben Island Guidelines, which requires states to prohibit the use, production, and trade of equipment designed to inflict torture.
• The scale and human rights impact of South Africa's exports of law enforcement equipment are unknown because there is no export data or oversight mechanism for this specific trade.

APA

Dube, G., & Stott, N. (2020). The trade in tools of torture: A South African case study. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-37.pdf

Chicago

Dube, Gugu, and Noël Stott. The trade in tools of torture: A South African case study. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-37.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dube |first1=Gugu |last2=Stott |first2=Noël |title=The trade in tools of torture: A South African case study |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-37.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dube2020trade, author = {Dube, Gugu and Stott, Noël}, title = {{The trade in tools of torture: A South African case study}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-37.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }