A brutal system leads to brutal behaviour; not an excuse, but an acknowledgement that 1980s South Africa was in many ways in a state of near collapse - something which people would do well to remember when bemoaning the very many issues the country is facing today.
Death tolls often aren't a great measure of brutality - there's a brutality inherent in having your life constrained through the use of state power, which always implies the threat of violence. If those targeted by this power are left unharmed by the barrel of a gun, it's only because they've complied, it's not due to the benevolence of the state.
Whenever the state does this to a large group of people and does not offer them a legitimate mechanism with which to voice their discontent, this leads to violence. It doesn't only lead to violence against state actors but also often encourages communalist violence, nihilistic behavior etc.
