Municipal Police

Explanation
The Municipal Police force was created to defend black local authorities in townships across the country and to bolster the security forces' efforts to deal with the climate of 'ungovernability' that had gripped the country in the mid-1980s. Approximately 14 000 Municipal Police officers were recruited, trained and deployed in urban and rural towns across the country where unrest was strongest. They rapidly became associated with violations both on and off duty. Between April 1988 and August 1987, Municipal Police members had been charged with crimes including murder, robbery, assault, theft and rape. Known also as 'greenflies', 'greenbeans' or ' amaTshaka ', the Municipal Police were attached to the local authorities, initially falling under the Department of Constitutional Development. In 1989 they were incorporated into the SAP.