The Portfolio Committee on Police convened on 05 March 2025 to address growing concerns over instability, corruption, and operational failures within the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence division. The hearing, attended by Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, and senior SAPS officials, revealed incidents of internal leaks, leadership turmoil, and resource mismanagement that have plagued the division for years.

SAPS officials sought to assure the committee that intelligence operations were functioning effectively, however lawmakers raised serious concerns regarding persistent leadership instability, politically motivated misuse of intelligence, and the failure to prevent violent crime and unrest. The hearing underscored the urgent need for stronger oversight, accountability, and structural reforms to restore confidence in the country’s crime intelligence capabilities.

One of the committee’s primary concerns was the ongoing instability within crime intelligence leadership, which has significantly affected its operational effectiveness. Committee members argued that overs the years, repeated leadership changes, political interference, and disciplinary disputes have weakened the division, making it difficult to fulfil its core mandate of gathering and analysing intelligence to combat crime.

Officials referenced past state capture investigations and the July 2021 riots, which exposed severe intelligence failures. Reports found that crime intelligence was unable to anticipate, prevent, or disrupt the deadly unrest, highlighting gaps in the country’s security framework. The committee stressed stable leadership and strategic oversight were needed, or intelligence services would continue to be reactive rather than proactive towards threats.

Genera Masemola attempted to downplay concerns, insisting crime intelligence remains functional and has contributed to recent successful police operations. However, lawmakers pointed out that frequent reshuffling of top officials and the slow pace of reforms continue to hamper long-term stability.

Minister Mchunu further voiced his frustration over the prolonged delay in appointing a Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), which is meant to provide oversight over crime intelligence operations. The lack of this critical parliamentary body has left many intelligence-related issues unresolved, further compounding the perception of disorder within the division.

Beyond leadership instability, the committee examined allegations of corruption and the politicisation of intelligence. Members noted that crime intelligence has faced repeated accusations of misusing state resources for political purposes, failing to act on critical threats, and allowing internal factions to compromise operations.

One of the key concerns raised was the mismanagement of secret funds, a recurring issue within the division. The State Capture Commission previously uncovered large-scale fraud involving crime intelligence funds, where millions were misappropriated for personal gain. The committee questioned whether enough had been done to implement safeguards against such abuses, particularly given reports that control measures were only recently tightened.

The recent appointment of senior personnel within crime intelligence also came under scrutiny. Allegations surfaced on social media claiming certain individuals were hired without proper qualifications or had political connections influencing their appointments. While SAPS officials provided detailed explanations of the hiring process, including qualifications and interview procedures, committee members remained sceptical.

Minister Mchunu acknowledged the recruitment process required greater transparency and standardisation. He stressed that vague job advertisements and flexible hiring criteria left room for criticism and potential manipulation. The Minister pledged that moving forward, the department would review and tighten recruitment policies to ensure appointments were based solely on merit and not influenced by internal power struggles.

One of the most alarming issues raised was the regular leakage of sensitive crime intelligence information, which has been used to undermine SAPS leadership, disrupt operations, and even expose officers to danger.

Committee members described a worrying pattern of misinformation and deliberate leaks, particularly through social media and anonymous whistleblowers. Some leaks have revealed legitimate cases of corruption and misconduct, while others have been accused of spreading false narratives to discredit leadership or derail disciplinary actions against certain officers.

General Masemola warned these leaks were compromising national security and called for stronger internal controls to protect intelligence operations. However, he acknowledged that whistleblowing played an important role in exposing wrongdoing, noting SAPS must find a balance between protecting classified information and ensuring accountability.

Minister Mchunu went further, suggesting some leaks were politically motivated and designed to create instability within SAPS. He highlighted the need for clearer legislation on handling intelligence disclosures to prevent malicious attempts to derail investigations.

Committee members expressed concern that internal divisions within SAPS were fuelling these leaks, making it even more difficult to implement necessary reforms. They urged the department to address factionalism and restore trust in the intelligence division.

Throughout the briefing, committee members repeatedly returned to the failure of crime intelligence to prevent major security crises. One of the significant events discussed was the July 2021 Riots. Intelligence agencies were widely blamed for failing to anticipate and prevent the widespread unrest that led to hundreds of deaths and billions in damages.

Further, the issue of politically motivated killings was raised. Despite the establishment of a Political Killings Task Team, assassinations remain rampant, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Over 170 politically motivated murders have occurred since 2011.

The final concern was organised crime activity. SAPS has had limited success in dismantling organised criminal syndicates, raising concerns about whether intelligence efforts are sufficiently targeting high-level criminals.

The failure to provide timely intelligence and respond effectively to emerging threats has significantly damaged the credibility of the division. Lawmakers stressed that unless SAPS rebuilds a strong, independent, and well-resourced intelligence unit, South Africa would remain vulnerable to criminal networks, political violence, and civil unrest.

The Portfolio Committee on Police concluded the session by urging SAPS leadership to take decisive action to address the ongoing dysfunction within crime intelligence.

Key recommendations focused on the need to stabilise leadership, ensuring senior crime intelligence officials remain in place long enough to implement meaningful reforms. The committee further called for tighter recruitment processes to eliminate perceptions of favouritism or political interference, reinforcing the importance of merit-based appointments.

Strengthening oversight and transparency was another priority, with urgent action required to establish the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to provide proper accountability. Additionally, SAPS was urged to implement stronger control measures to prevent the misuse of intelligence resources and secret funds, ensuring financial and operational integrity is upheld. Finally, while cracking down on internal leaks was seen as essential to protecting sensitive operations, committee members stressed the importance of safeguarding legitimate whistleblowing to expose corruption and misconduct without fear of retaliation.

Minister Mchunu acknowledged that serious reforms were needed but emphasised crime intelligence remained operational and had contributed to recent police successes in “tackling organised crime.”

However, members of the committee stressed that unless structural changes were made, crime intelligence would continue to be plagued by controversy, inefficiency, and public mistrust.