The killing of George Floyd shocks South Africans too

Many of us in South Africa have been shocked by the death by homicide of George Floyd, when a policeman crushed his neck with a knee for more than eight minutes in Minneapolis last week.

George Floyd's killing flies in the face of the solidarity evident in the world's response to the pandemic, and we condemn the brutal treatment he was subjected to. 

As we heard those words of desperation, "I cannot breathe", we mourned for the loss of all life at this time, through violence everywhere and in the COVID-19 pandemic. May Mr Floyd rest in peace.

The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba

Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town

Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa