kitskonstabel

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans kits (“instant”) +‎ konstabel (“constable”).

Noun

kitskonstabel (plural kitskonstabels)

1. (South Africa, historical, slang) A newly deputized constable in the South African police during the last days of apartheid; they were noted for their zealousness and lack of procedure. Their official name was special policeman.
   • 1996 June 18, “Submission, questions and answers”, in Truth and Reconciliation Commission‎^[1], archived from the original on 17 March 2004:

     During 1987 sixteen kitskonstabels were sent to Bhongolethu to police the area after their six weeks of training. The kitskonstabels proved to be a law unto themselves - between September 1987 and January 1988 less than six months, at least six activist were injured by kitskonstabels a remarkable series of incidents, involving the kitskonstabels was recorded by the police themselves in the Bhongolethu police station incident book.

   • 1997 April 3, “KITSKONSTABEL ACTIONS TO BE HEARD AT GRAHAMSTWON TRC HEARINGS”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎^[2], archived from the original on 18 January 2005:

     The activities of the South Africa Police's notorious apartheid-era "kitskonstables" will come under the spotlight at the three-day hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Grahamstown next week, from April 7 to 9. The kitskonstables (special constables) were infamous for random beatings and shootings in the Grahamstown area during the 1980s.

   • 1998, Antjie Krog, Country of My Skull:

     Harrington’s hero was Major Deon Terreblanche – notorious for his killing sprees. ‘He was actually like my father. He was interested in my work. He always wanted to know how I was. He told me I personally have to fight against the ANC, because they were communists. He said he would see to it that I never get into trouble.’ But a kitskonstabel with ANC sympathies killed Terreblanche.