The University of the Witwatersrand law professor replaced suspended Senzo Mchunu on 1 August in the wake of the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, officially the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.

Ahead of supplying Wesley Douglas with the information he requested, Cachalia told the MKP Member of Parliament (MP) the SAPS disputes his assertion that 7 500 state-issued firearms are “now in the hands of criminal syndicates”. The acting minister’s response in this regard reads: “There is currently no record of the 7 500 state issued (SAPS) firearms in question. Available data records from 2019/2020 until current, indicate a total of 4 124 SAPS-owned firearms reported as lost/stolen”.

Cachalia further informed his questioner a working group, set up by SAPS National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, is working on a thorough verification process of all SAPS-owned firearms lost/stolen from 2019/2020 on. The report will be ready for submission [presumably to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police] by 15 January.

The working group is using the SAPS Working Group on Official Losses terms of reference, approved on 31 August this year to verify lost and/or stolen police firearms. Number one on a list of six requirements is “confirmation and management of the physical loss of the SAPS-owned firearm” followed by departmental and criminal investigations, reporting firearm recovery or confirmation of loss, including determination and liability.

The Cachalia also has it since 2020, “there are no active members that are linked to corruption of and convicted in court for facilitating and/or participating in the supply of SAPS owned firearms to organised criminal networks”.

The post Cachalia sets the record straight on lost/stolen police firearms appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

“The trend we are seeing is increasing gun crime, and little to no action from the Police. This cannot go on,” said Lisa Schickerling – DA Spokesperson on Police.

In separate incidents, mass shootings occurred in Phillipi in the Western Cape and Westbury in Gauteng, while several other shootings have occurred.

The DA now calls on Cachalia to urgently address this increasing crisis, and take meaningful steps to restore order and operational stability within SAPS.

“These tragedies come amid escalating instability within the South African Police Service (SAPS), instability that is now costing lives,” Schickerling said.

“While innocent South Africans are being gunned down in their homes and on their streets, the leadership of the SAPS remains consumed by internal battles, political interference, and leadership paralysis.

“The chaos in the command structure, the confusion over authority, and the collapse of crime intelligence have all left our police service rudderless and ineffective.”

South Africans deserve answers to the following questions, the DA said:

What emergency measures are being implemented to stabilise SAPS leadership and end the infighting that is crippling the service?
What concrete plans are in place to protect communities in high-risk areas like Westbury, Gugulethu, and the Cape Flats?
How will the Minister ensure accountability in SAPS management and command structures, given the ongoing leadership disputes?
South Africans cannot continue to live under siege while ministers “figure out a plan.”

Every day of inaction costs more lives, the DA said, adding it has repeatedly called for urgent reform of the SAPS, including depoliticising police leadership, expanding policing powers to capable local and provincial governments, and strengthening crime intelligence and detective services.

The DA has also set a deadline for the Ministers of Justice, Correctional Services, Police, and State Security to account for their departments’ joint failures in curbing the rise of impunity and present a combined plan to save the South African criminal justice system.

The post Shootings are rising while SAPS leadership remains paralysed – DA appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an event hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation.

Responding to questions about whether South Africa could go the way of Colombia and Ecuador, where organised crime has destabilised these states, he conceded that this was a possibility. The institutions tasked with dealing with corruption would need to be strengthened and perform their roles more effectively, if this situation is to be avoided.

“Patterns of criminality” were evolving, which saw cartels and syndicates undertaking kidnapping, extortion and trafficking in illegal goods.

“Some of these cartels are infiltrating government institutions,” he said.

Cachalia said he hoped that the recommendations of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council would be implemented. These included the creation of an independent Office of Public Integrity, which would conduct investigations and would have the power to refer matters for prosecution. This could be founded upon the existing Special Investigating Unit.

Another recommendation is that the Directorate for Priority Crimes should develop a greater focus on organised crime.

“The bottom line is that we’re not going to win the battle if we don’t dramatically or significantly show that we are increasing prosecutions effectively. Until that happens, the public will not believe in the need for an anti-corruption reform agenda,” he said.

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

The post Organised crime threatens South Africa with a Latin American future: Cachalia appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

This comes after a four-year-old boy died after being wounded in a gang shooting last week. According to reports, this marks the fourth shooting of a child in less than a week across three different communities. Parents, children, and innocent civilians are dying while the machinery of policing appears paralysed by delay and neglect, according to Lisa Schickerling, Democratic Alliance (DA) Spokesperson on Police.

A few weeks ago, Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia stated that he was working on a plan to curb violence in the Cape Flats. “Yet despite that promise, there is still no publicly released, concrete, and resourced plan to address the crisis. Communities continue to live in fear, and gang violence remains unchecked,” Schickerling state.

“At the same time, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has yet to release the first quarter (Q1) crime statistics for the 2025/26 financial year even though they were due at the end of August. These statistics are vital for understanding where crime is increasing and for targeting police resources effectively. The continued withholding of data only fuels public suspicion and erodes trust at a time when transparency is desperately needed.”

Instead of focusing on essential administrative and operational functions, the SAPS appears to be consumed by internal management crises and time-consuming oversight processes, such as the Madlanga Commission and the proceedings of the ad hoc committee. While SAPS management is consumed by internal issues, crime carries on, the DA said.

“While oversight is important, it cannot come at the cost of day-to-day policing, community protection, and accountability.”

The party urged the Minister to ensure that SAPS’s focus returns to its core responsibilities, preventing and investigating crime, protecting vulnerable communities, and ensuring that transparency and accountability are not lost amid bureaucratic distraction.

The post Acting Police Minister’s ‘inaction and delay’ on Cape Flats safety plan cost lives – DA appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

Reportedly, around 90% of gang murders in South Africa take place in the Western Cape, points out Benedicta van Minnen, Democratic Alliance (DA) Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety. “Despite this crisis, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has failed to bolster its presence in the province. Police personnel numbers have dropped from nearly 20 000 officers in 2016 to just 18 000 in 2022, even as the province’s population grew by 11.8% over the same period. This has left communities dangerously under-resourced,” van Minnen said.

In crime hotspots, the police to population ratio is now one officer for every 962 residents, compared to the national average of one for 417. The Western Cape has only 12 908 active officers and faces an average vacancy rate of 12.39%, with some precincts sitting at just over 40% of the required personal. Detectives are overwhelmed with up to 142 case dockets each, to only a shocking 7% of murders being solved.

Minister Cachalia himself admitted on Tuesday 9 September that the intelligence-driven capabilities needed to combat gang violence and organised crime in Cape Town are still not fully in place. This is a failure that is costing lives, van Minnen said.

“There is no meaningful plan from SAPS to address the growing scourge of gang violence in the Western Cape. Communities are living in fear, and law enforcement is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsupported.”

“We cannot afford politicians singing the reform and renew songs while on the ground, capacity is dololo [zero]. Every day without action is another day our communities remain vulnerable. We demand accountability, urgency, and real delivery,” van Minnen said.

The DA is demanding that:

That SAPS table and implement a comprehensive resourcing plan for the Western Cape, with immediate effect.

That municipalities with proven, localised safety solutions be granted the powers and funding required to scale up their efforts and play a greater role in local law enforcement.

“The crisis in our communities cannot be resolved through empty promises and delayed plans. We need boots on the ground, intelligence units activated, and real intergovernmental cooperation that responds to the lived realities of our people. We will not stand by while bureaucracy continues to fail our children,” van Minnen concluded.

The post Western Cape’s police resourcing plan still missing as gang violence claims more lives appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

The Minister’s visit forms part of a broader Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster effort aim to implement practical, community-driven interventions against gang violence and foster safety.

Among the stakeholders attended the engagements included representatives from civic groups, religious leaders and Community Policing Forums (CPFs).

Cachalia said gang violence in the province are as a result of organised transnational crime, stressing the need for a coordinated response.

Cachalia said he requested a briefing from National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola on what the South African Police Service (SAPS) is doing to curb the violence, including the effectiveness of anti-gang units that has been established.

“I am aware of course that some time ago anti-gang units were put in place. There’s been some question about their effectiveness, and I intend to look into that,” he said.

Gang violence in areas like Mitchells Plain and Mfuleni has been going on for some time, with communities experiencing high levels of extortion, shootings and drug-related crimes.

The Cape Flats, including some suburbs, sees frequent clashes between rival gangs such as the Americans and Mongrels, leading to crossfire that endangers innocent residents.

Mitchells Plain residents told Cachalia that they need increased police presence to protect them from gangsters’ violence.

Cachalia pledged to do everything in his power to improve policing and reducing crime in the country.

Cachalia said the provincial commissioner and the head of crime intelligence presented him with a strategy to fight crime in the affected areas.

“They must still implement that plan. They must still resource that plan, that plan is needed. So we need a stabilisation plan.

“We need to go on the offensive against the drug lords, stabilise our communities, make sure that we are in charge, not the criminals,” he said.

Cachalia said that they might have to put in place special measures to get rid of gangsterism.

A number of people have died in gang-related violence.

The post Acting Police Minister engages WC communities on gang violence appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

Cachalia visited the families of Warrant Officer Vuyisile Sintwa (51) and Sergeant Simon Masenye (45) on Sunday.

The officers were escorting an awaiting trial prisoner, Jabulani Moyo, when they were ambushed in the Roodepoort town centre. Moyo remains at large, and a massive manhunt is underway.

During his visit to the families of the fallen officers, the Minister expressed his heartfelt condolences and assured the bereaved families that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will work to ensure that Moyo is located and held accountable for his actions.

The Minister also took the time to extend his sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni from Mpumalanga, who was killed on Saturday, while responding to a burglary incident in Schoemansdal near Komatipoort.

In his call for heightened vigilance, Cachalia said these senseless acts of violence against men and women in blue are an attack on the rule of law and the safety of all South Africans.

“We strongly condemn these heinous crimes, and we will not rest until those responsible are brought to justice. We call on all SAPS members to always remain alert and to make full and appropriate use of the tools of trade issued to them,” he said.

Police have offered a cash reward of R150 000 for anyone who has information on Moyo’s whereabouts, warning that he is dangerous and should not be approached.

The post Acting Police Minister extends condolences to fallen officers’ families appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

“In terms of the powers vested in me by Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, I have decided to appoint the following person as Minister for the portfolio indicated in the signed President’s Act. The said Minister-Designate, who is about to become Minister, is Professor Firoz Cachalia… (sic),” said President Cyril Ramaphosa during the ceremony.

The swearing in follows President Ramaphosa’s announcement last month that he had placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on a leave of absence with immediate effect.

The affirmation was administered by Acting Judge President, Aubrey Ledwaba, following Cachalia’s appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The President further announced the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry, led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi had raised concerns about an alleged criminal syndicate that has infiltrated law enforcement and intelligence structures. He also accused Mchunu of colluding with criminal elements to disband the Political Killings Task Team based in KwaZulu-Natal.

Director-General in The Presidency, Phindile Baleni, who spoke at the swearing-in, congratulated the newly appointed Minister.

“Minister, we congratulate you on your appointment and wish you much success in your duties and endeavours to make South Africa and the world a better place for all,” Baleni said.

Addressing members of the media after the ceremony, President Ramaphosa acknowledged the concerns regarding the seeming duplication in the police ministry.

“I know there is a technicality about seeming to have two Ministers in the same portfolio, and that is a matter I do believe is going to be resolved within a short space of time.

“I directed the commission [of inquiry] to complete its work as quickly as possible, so whatever confusion there might be is going to be of a short duration. I expect a report from the commission within three months and if they have to ask for an extension, we will give consideration to that.

“I do want this matter to be resolved as quickly as possible but at the same time, we have had to provide leadership to the police service. We can’t leave a vacuum. Whilst all of this is happening, Minister Mchunu is on leave while this matter is being resolved, and he is preparing himself, as I hear, to appear before the commission,” the President said.

Speaking to the media about his new role, Cachalia said he had not yet had an opportunity to meet with the President but had been informed that the first Cabinet meeting would take place on Wednesday, and he assumed the President would engage with him in due course.

Cachalia assured the public that he is fully aware of the responsibility that comes with the role and is committed to prioritising their safety and security.

“I don’t think there are any specific fears going into this portfolio. I understand the moment the country is in and the weight of the responsibility that I have, together with the others in government. I want to assure the public that their safety and security is uppermost in my mind. That’s what I am going to focus on, and I hope that I will be able to take the country forward,” he said.

Responding to a question on whether he supports the work of the Political Killings Task Team, Cachalia said he would comment after meeting with National Commissioner Fannie Masemola on Thursday next week.

“I don’t think it will be appropriate for me to comment on that without having the benefit of a discussion with him,” he said.

Cachalia also touched on his dual role as chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Council, whose term ends at the end of the month.

“I do think that my appointment as a Minister of this portfolio, while I am still the chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Council – the term of which expires at the end of this month… I am now in a better position than I was as chairperson to take the recommendations of the Council forward, and I will certainly be doing so.”

Cachalia said he would ask the National Commissioner, during their upcoming meeting, to arrange a session between the Anti-Corruption Council and the police management team to discuss the Council’s recommendations, adding that it is his intention to work closely with the Minister of Justice, as the recommendations impact both their portfolios.

“We will together be in a much better position going forward to take those recommendations forward. The recommendations that the Council has made are the ones I am committed to fully implementing,” Cachalia said.

On when he will travel to KwaZulu-Natal to meet with General Mkhwanazi, Cachalia said the visit will depend on his discussion with the National Commissioner.

“As the national Minister, I have to visit all the provinces – in what sequence and with what priorities in mind, that still has to be determined. So, I will answer that question in the coming days,” he said.

Minister Cachalia vowed to work hard and remain focused on his responsibilities despite the challenges surrounding his appointment.

“I will work hard. I am not distracted by the noise, and I am not driven by political ambition. I have been given a task. I am going to tackle the task without fear or favour, subject of course to the President’s guidance and direction as a member of the Cabinet,” the Minister said.

The post Professor Firoz Cachalia sworn in as Minister of Police appeared first on ProtectionWeb.