Posts

Secretive, unearned promotions threaten SA’s policing

By Johan Burger First published on the ISS website As South Africans start to feel optimistic about actions to fix the criminal justice system, a secret project in the police could substantially weaken its ability to become a professional organisation. The South African Police Service (Saps) is promoting 600 people into management positions – not Read more >

Police overhaul needed to eradicate state capture taint

By Gareth Newham First published on the Institute for Security Studies Now that South Africa has undergone a profound political shift with the appointment of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the hard work of rebuilding various state institutions must begin. This is certainly true for law enforcement and intelligence agencies that were severely weakened by maladministration and Read more >

CW urges new commissioner to restore police integrity

Corruption Watch welcomes the appointment of the new South African Police Service national commissioner, Lt-General Khehla Sithole, with cautious optimism.  We have called for the new commissioner to be experienced in police service and we are pleased to note General Sithole’s long record of service and vast experience. Lt-General Sithole, who joined the police service Read more >

Urgent call to avoid another top cop disaster

 SA safety at risk if Zuma goes it alone again when appointing police commissioner South Africans face the risk of another disastrous police appointment by President Jacob Zuma, who has a record of undermining people’s safety by picking unqualified and dishonest people to head the South African Police Service (SAPS). Police minister Fikile Mbalula said Read more >

Police not coping with serious violent crime

Issued by the Institute for Security Studies A steady rise in murder and armed robbery shows police are not getting a grip on serious violent crime in South Africa, despite a budget increased by almost 50% since 2011/12 to R87-billion. This is largely due to inappropriate political interference in the police, the Institute for Security Read more >

Mbalula: we have a problem with SAPS leadership

Police minister Fikile Mbalula today presented the 2016/2017 crime statistics to the parliamentary portfolio committee on police. The statistics cover the period from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. This means that at best, the stats are over six months old. Mbalula acknowledged that there is a problem of poor leadership in the South Read more >

The real police numbers behind SA’s high crime rate

As the South African Police Service (SAPS) prepares to release South Africa’s annual crime statistics, Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) have released numbers that highlight the challenges of police leadership in a country with endemic crime and violence. This is part of a campaign to change the way South Africa’s top Read more >

Parliament can help recruit top leaders for SAPS, Hawks

Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) will ask Parliament today to support stricter criteria for recruitment of the South African Police Service (SAPS) national commissioner and head of the Hawks, two of the most important functions in a country with rising crime, violence and corruption. The country’s top cop is currently selected Read more >

CW, ISS motivate for public say in top cops’ appointments

Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) have established a joint public awareness campaign that focuses on the process resulting in the upcoming appointments of the South African Police Service (SAPS) national commissioner and the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks). We believe that both critical appointments require a Read more >