Cape Town — The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police has expressed shock and dismay after the South African Police Service (SAPS) admitted it had not initiated any internal disciplinary cases for corruption allegations in the first quarter of 2025.
Committee chairperson Ian Cameron said the lack of accountability was “unfathomable,” especially in a country where corruption within law enforcement remains a serious public concern.
“In a country that suffers greatly from the scourge of corruption, especially the perception that some members of the SAPS are implicated in criminal conduct, the inability to institute any disciplinary hearings … further erodes the trust levels in the SAPS,” Cameron said.
Performance Failures Highlighted
The committee was receiving performance reports from SAPS, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), and the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service. During the briefing, SAPS conceded that delays in appointing functionaries had prevented disciplinary processes from moving forward—an explanation the committee rejected as unacceptable.
Other key concerns raised included:
Technology failures: SAPS installed CCTV at only one site against a planned 15.
Weak protection of women and children: A 4.1% reduction in contact crime against women was well below the 25% target, while incidents against children increased by 1.8%.
Underfunded interventions: No expenditure was recorded on biological assets such as K9 and mounted units, which the committee described as critical for fighting narcotics and emerging crimes.
Detective services: Only 40% of targets were achieved, with high caseloads undermining investigations.
Forensic Science Laboratory delays: DNA case exhibits continued to exceed the 90-day timeframe, slowing justice in gender-based violence and other cases.
IPID and Civilian Secretariat Concerns
The committee also flagged persistent backlogs at IPID, warning that weak investigative capacity continued to undermine accountability. While retired investigators had been hired as part of a mitigation plan, members said progress remained insufficient.
At the same time, the committee welcomed progress by the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service, which has finalised the SAPS Amendment Bill. The bill, now ready to be tabled, seeks to reform the 1995 SAPS Act by:
Strengthening the independence of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks),
Improving coordination with municipal police services,
Increasing penalties for false reports, and
Integrating community policing into legislation.
However, MPs criticised delays in stakeholder consultation on the Firearms Control Amendment Bill, which has been before NEDLAC for over 40 days with limited engagement.
Eroding Public Trust
The committee emphasised that SAPS’ failure to act decisively against corruption allegations is worsening already fragile public confidence in policing.
Cameron stressed that without visible consequences for misconduct, communities will continue to see SAPS as unaccountable.
The committee has urged SAPS to urgently address its underperformance, implement stronger accountability mechanisms, and ensure future quarterly reports reflect tangible progress.