Parliament, Thursday, 3 April 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Police is of the firm view that the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) response to gang violence is being compromised by its unwillingness to accept the dire reality on the ground. This nonchalant attitude does not assist in finding solutions to an increasingly violent situation that has contributed greatly to South Africa’s murder rate. The committee yesterday received a briefing from SAPS management, including the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner of Police.
The committee was disappointed that the presentation it received was not evidence-based and was anchored more to successes, which, while welcome, have not dealt a crippling blow to gang violence on the Cape Flats. “The statistics presented are wholly inadequate and borders on providing misleading information. If taken at face value, one could reach a conclusion that gang violence is under control,” said Mr Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the committee.
The committee felt that the use of one table to aggregate contact crimes in seven stations does not provide a global picture of the problem. The committee is of the view that effective strategies should respond to a specific challenge. The dataset used yesterday minimises the problem and imperils planning and budgeting to respond to the identified challenge. For example, between October and December 2024, 263 of the 294 gang-related murders occurred in the Western Cape, which translates to 90% of all gang-related murders in the country. Furthermore, 297 of the 331 attempted murders were in the Western Cape. “We cannot speak honestly about the state of policing or respond adequately to gang violence while glossing over numbers,” Mr Cameron said.
It remains unacceptable that the SAPS response to the gang violence in the Western Cape is being driven by the under-capacitated Anti-Gang Unit (AGU). While the idea of a specialised unit is welcomed, the unit’s inadequate capacity undercuts its intention. For example, the unit has no fixed establishment and operates in a structural vacuum. During a recent visit, the committee found that only eight of the unit’s 23 vehicles are operational, which makes investigation of gang-related crimes near impossible. Also, the unit’s 210 staff members share three broken toilets in a building that has no cleaner, no water backup system and no perimeter fence. “The state of the unit is desperate and this directly impacts on the morale of the members of the unit and will effect the ability and willingness to do their job,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
Also, because the AGU reports to organised crime component within SAPS, the command and control of the unit is fractured. This lack of clear leadership structure has been evidenced by the fact that the unit has not received a car since 2018 despite the dangerous operational environment.
The SAPS’ propensity to play football with consequence management continues to affect the effective policing of gang-related crimes. “It is indefensible that a police officer assigned to the AGU and responsible for a vehicle that a known a known gangster was photographed in still works within the unit. How can the unit combat gang violence effectively when officers who have ties with gang members are not taken through a disciplinary process and no action is taken?” Mr Cameron asked.
The committee reiterates that combating gang-related crimes depends on a multipronged approach, using various capabilities within the SAPS. The fact that the K9 unit in the Western Cape remains largely under-capacitated and disregarded impacts on the capability that could be provided by this unit to combat crime. It remains indefensible that only two operational narcotics dogs are available in the Western Cape. Furthermore, it is disappointing that 75 trained handlers in the Western Cape are sitting idle with no dogs while the SAPS continues to resist the advice to purchase pre-trained dogs.
The committee has recommended a few solutions to the SAPS in the Western Cape in an effort to encourage the SAPS to move with speed to implement workable solutions to the current challenges. The committee has called for the SAPS to ensure that the AGU has a formal, permanent staffing structure for sustainability and accountability. The committee has also advised the SAPS to allocate new, reliable vehicles to the AGU, the Flying Squad, the POP and K9 units; to remove officers under suspicion or caught colluding with gangs – especially those in sensitive intelligence positions; and to identify leadership failures and reassign or remove ineffective senior managers. “If some of these recommendations are implemented, then major headway will be made in the fight against gang-related crime,” Mr Cameron said.
Meanwhile, the committee welcomed the deployment of the head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Investigations Unit to Matatiele in the Eastern Cape to help with the rape case of seven-year-old Cwecwe. The committee emphasised that this case is representative of the challenge of gender-based violence and the need for the SAPS to strengthen investigation. Also, the committee highlighted that this case emphasises the need for the SAPS to clear the 140 000 DNA backlog that hampers the conclusion of such investigations.
Lastly, the committee has resolved that it will schedule a special meeting to receive a briefing about SAPS members who do not have security clearance. The committee is steadfast in the belief that it is unacceptable that some senior members of SAPS do not have the requisite clearance for their jobs.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, MR IAN CAMERON.
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