This is set out on the latest SAPS Annual Report, and the AG’s findings for the 2014/25 year.

For example, the SAPS claimed to have recovered 244 firearms that had been stolen from it, but the audit suggested that this number was higher than what had been achieved.

The AG also questioned claims that contact crimes in the 30 most seriously affected police jurisdiction had been reduced by 4.7%, against a target of 12.3%. It said that this claim could not be verified and the true outcome might be lower or higher.

It could also not verify the true number of cases of crime involving economic infrastructure and recovery of vehicles (although on both cases, the AG said that the numbers were likely higher than the SAPS’ claims).

Some numbers cited by the SAPS were found to be understatements of its performance. The target of arrests in cases of attacks by organised crime on construction sites was 50%; the police had claimed 54%, but the AG found that the real number was 65%.

The AG said that the problems were likely a result of deficient controls than of deliberate manipulation.

The Annual Report noted that there were ongoing weaknesses in the SAPS data management systems. “Management did not implement adequate controls to improve audit outcomes on performance information”, it said this could have an adverse effect on SAPS work more broadly.

Written by The Daily Friend and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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Further, the SAPS alone is sitting on R2.5 billion in unresolved irregular expenditure.

“The same audit findings keep repeating, oversight is weak, and governance failures are persistent, eroding public confidence in policing and its oversight,” said Ian Cameron, Democratic Alliance Deputy Spokesperson on Police in response.

“SAPS is in a state of near-collapse. Mismanagement here is not an abstract concept. It affects the safety and security of South Africans every single day. Delayed crime statistics, poorly functioning forensic labs, malfunctioning digital systems, and unchecked tender irregularities directly put people at risk.”

Public trust is further shaken by revelations in the Madlanga Commission and the Ad Hoc committee, which show systemic leadership failures at the top, Cameron said.

“PSIRA is no better. Ongoing financial misstatements, overspending, reliance on external contractors, and weak internal audit functions make it clear that governance and accountability at this regulator are dangerously inadequate.”

The Democratic Alliance demands action from the SAPS, including:
Filling the long-vacant SAPS Internal Audit post and enforcing accountability at every level;
Conducting lifestyle and skills audits for all SAPS senior management;
Introducing Treasury-aligned tender reforms with strict due diligence;
Fast-tracking digitisation of crime and forensic systems to produce accurate, timely data;
PSIRA implementing an in-house billing system and fixing internal controls immediately; and
All unresolved irregular expenditure cases must be submitted for disciplinary or condonation action.

“Repeated failure to act on audit findings is unacceptable. Every day that mismanagement continues, the safety of South Africans, the integrity of policing, and trust in law enforcement are further undermined,” Cameron said.

The Portfolio Committee on Police, meanwhile, strongly condemned the SAPS and PSiRA for their persistent failure to implement audit recommendations and curb financial and administrative irregularities.

In a statement, the committee warned that the ongoing lack of accountability and consequence management within both institutions threatens to erode public confidence in the country’s law enforcement and regulatory systems.

“It is completely unacceptable that SAPS and PSiRA have persistently shown non-compliance with supply chain management (SCM) regulations and yet there is little or no action undertaken to ensure consequence management. An environment that lacks consequence management will breed impunity, and unfortunately, this seems to be the case at SAPS and PSiRA,” said committee chairperson Ian Cameron.

The Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) briefed the committee that both SAPS and PSiRA continue to show a “persistent lack of improvement” in their audit outcomes, despite years of repeated recommendations.

This pattern, the AG said, raises questions about whether the institutions’ audit action plans are being implemented effectively.

Audit action plans are designed to correct weaknesses identified in previous years.

Yet, the committee found that both entities had either ignored or inadequately implemented them, resulting in a cycle of repeated findings, non-compliance, and wasteful expenditure.

At SAPS, the committee acknowledged the unqualified audit opinion but expressed alarm that systemic failures within supply chain management continue to undermine credibility.

“The fact that there is endemic manipulation of evaluation criteria points to corruption within the system. We have recommended lifestyle audits, starting with high-risk officers, to expose irregular appointments and procurement manipulation,” Cameron said.

The committee further noted that the lengthy processes involved in acting on material irregularities often weaken accountability and allow misconduct to persist.

It called for streamlined mechanisms to ensure that irregularities are dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Turning to PSiRA, members of the committee welcomed the Auditor-General’s decision to refer the authority’s R129 million Unemployment Insurance Fund-linked training scheme to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

The training programme, designed to benefit unemployed youth, was found to have serious irregularities.

Out of 6 507 learners enrolled, only 118 were accredited, raising serious questions about the competence of the service provider and the oversight of the project.

The committee heard that PSiRA failed to perform due diligence in appointing the service provider, which later proved incapable of delivering the promised training outcomes.

“It is unacceptable that even after the authority has admitted that no due diligence was performed for the awarding of the contract, nothing tangible and no practical interventions have been made. It is in this context that the referral to the SIU is welcomed,” Cameron said.

The committee also noted with concern that since 2019, PSiRA has failed to implement sufficient safeguards to prevent similar irregularities.

Members said this reflects a culture of tolerance for failure within the entity’s leadership.

The committee expressed disbelief that the position of Supply Chain Management Manager at PSiRA has been vacant for more than two years, even as the authority continues to underperform in key SCM compliance areas.

The vacancy, coupled with over-reliance on external service providers for debt collection, has led to further inefficiencies and financial losses.

In-year spending was poorly monitored, leading to overspending on operational expenses, something the committee described as a mundane dysfunction that should not persist year after year.

Members warned that the repeated financial mismanagement and lack of internal capacity were clear symptoms of weak leadership and a failure of governance.

The committee confirmed it will continue engaging with the leadership of SAPS, PSiRA, the Civilian Secretariat for Police, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to ensure full accountability and corrective action.

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The Auditor-General’s report gave the service an unqualified audit opinion for the fifth year running, confirming that its accounts complied with the Public Finance Management Act. SAPS spent its entire R113.6bn allocation, juggling cost-cutting with frontline demands.

The police met just over three-quarters of their annual targets, 76.3%, up from 67% a year earlier. Administrative and detective units improved; the crime intelligence division again achieved a perfect record.

The total headcount rose to 187,681 after the recruitment of 10,017 new officers. Vacancies were almost eliminated, at 0.1%, and staff turnover held steady at 3.2%.

Reported serious crimes fell by 4.3% to 1.53m cases, reversing last year’s increase. Contact crimes such as assault and robbery declined by 2.2%, though offences against women and children rose slightly.

The number of police officers killed on duty dropped by a third, to 74. Operation Shanela and other intensive policing drives led to 1.46m arrests and the seizure of more than 6,500 firearms.

Vehicle availability rose marginally to 85.5%, but fleet numbers failed to keep pace with the expanding workforce. Firearm losses fell 22.8% to 572, while recoveries of illegal guns exceeded targets.

SAPS opened nine new stations and deployed nearly 100 mobile units to extend access to policing, especially in remote areas.

The national case-detection rate climbed to 47.6%, and convictions for contact crimes edged up to 82.4%. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation made 3,621 arrests and secured 24,866 convictions, with asset seizures worth R682m.

DNA-sample collection improved to 94.9% compliance, but the forensic backlog swelled to 33% as laboratories struggled with staffing and equipment shortages.

Analysts say that while SAPS remains fiscally disciplined and operationally more stable than in recent years, the force faces persistent challenges, with overburdened forensic labs, violence against vulnerable groups and an overstretched fleet threatening to blunt the modest progress achieved.

Written by The Daily Friend and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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“A shortage of police officers in general and a lacklustre and haemorrhaging detective and intelligence service means many criminal cases go unsolved. This, coupled with a DNA backlog, leaves thousands of victims without justice and many more waiting endlessly in limbo for their cases to even begin,” the organisation said in a statement.

“This report, shocking and disappointing as it is, comes as no surprise. It confirms what Action Society has been saying since its inception – the police are failing South Africans. The Department of Police, Minister Mchunu, SAPS management and all law enforcement officials should not only take note of the report’s findings but implement practical and effective measures to overhaul the whole police service,” said Juanita du Preez, Action Society spokesperson.

Of most serious concern are personnel capacity and performance, forensic services, including the criminal buccal sample database and the DNA backlog, critical services such as the 10111 call centre, and discipline within the SAPS.

Personnel capacity and performance

Action Society said it sees the direct results of inexperienced, overworked, and unmotivated police officers daily. “The concerning decrease in the Detective Service Division from 26 000 in 2016/17 to 17 000 in October 2023 is a major red flag and the primary reason for the delay of justice that victims of crime face. The AG’s report shows that detectives who are still operating are not meeting their targets, especially when it comes to contact crimes and crimes against children. The report revealed that the detective branch only solved 45.89% of cases brought to them. This trend continues with crimes against children under 18 years, with only 63.07% of these being solved, a total of 38 998 cases out of 61 828.”

10111 Call centres

Action Society said its surveys have shown that South Africans would rather call private security firms, CPFs (Community Policing Forums), or neighbourhood watches in an emergency than the police’s 10111 call centres. The AG found that the national average rate of abandoned calls stood at 26.44% at some centres, recording an average response time ranging from 8 to 35 minutes.

Discipline within the SAPS ranks

“The ongoing Blue Light Mafia case revealed that police brutality is carried out with impunity in South Africa. The disciplinary hearing of the eight officers who assaulted motorists in July last year continues to move at a snail’s pace, with the defence employing numerous delay tactics to protect these officers from jail time. It serves as one example of the lack of discipline in the police,” Action Society said.

In 2023/24, a total of 1 639 disciplinary hearings were held, and 2 862 SAPS employees were found guilty on various charges, including, amongst others, misconduct bringing the Service into disrepute, murder, rape, defeating the course of justice, corruption and assault GBH.

“Although much of the shocking revelations of this year’s annual report can be attributed to the legacy of former minister of police, Bheki Cele as well as the senior management of the police, it is time to move on. Minister Mchunu has a mountainous challenge ahead of him if he wants to undo the damage done to the police by his predecessor. Action Society believes in coming up with solutions, and we hope to build a working relationship with the new minister and the rest of his cabinet that will allow for cooperation that is conducive to combating crime in South Africa before it spirals out of control into complete anarchy,” concluded du Preez.

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