ONKGOPOTSE JJ TABANE | Prof Firoz Cachalia’s inbox

One of the priorities for the acting minister of police, Prof Firoz Cachalia, must be to urgently restore public confidence in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

If the allegations, raised by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi are anything to go by, then the police has become an institution that has lost its credibility.

According to these allegations, the system is rotten to the core, with its leadership aiding and abetting criminals.

In such a climate one wonders whether he can be taken seriously by a system that appears to have daggers drawn from within? Will his voice be heard in an environment where it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern between the good guys and those who are dragging the name of the police through the mud?

Add to that the president’s six-month deadline for yet another commission of inquiry and you have a minister whose hands are partially tied from day 1. How is he expected to initiate thorough changes when many of his decisions might be reversed or undermined, depending on the commission’s eventual findings?

The rot is simply too deep to ignore. Too many stories continue to emerge about police officers involved in criminal activities, from petty corruption to serious organised crime. To compound matters we may even have former police officers who influence police work though they are no longer part of the system.

If Cachalia hopes to get ahead of the curve and make any meaningful impact, his inbox needs to reflect real urgency and bold decisions.

I believe the following must be top of the inbox:

• Getting rid of police officers who have criminal records must be the first step. In 2022 it was reported that there were more than 10,000 SAPS members with criminal records and an audit done as recently as 2024 reported that 1,448 members had criminal offences. So in essence we are expected to believe that criminals within the police, some of whom have murder and rape charges, can uphold and enforce the law. Their continued presence within the ranks is an outright insult to the mission of crime fighting. It should be non-negotiable: any police officer with a criminal offence should be dismissed, because keeping them in the system erodes the very little public trust that remains in them.
• Ordering lifestyle audits for all executive committee members of the police would go a long way in exposing those whose wealth cannot be explained by their salaries. The minister should prioritise this, because there are members who are charged with presiding over multimillion-rand budgets and as a result, the lives they live do not sync with their declared earnings. Members should be audited and if found guilty, they should immediately be dismissed.
• The lifestyle audits should be done in tandem with lifestyle audits for all procurement officials, who are often at the centre of questionable tender deals. The awarding of a R360m tender to a company that was under investigation is not the only case. There are more cases like it and the minister must dedicate time and resources to uncovering such and ensure that all individuals involved in undermining tender processes for personal gain are weeded out of the police. It would be one of the means to restore dignity and pride, because the SAPS is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
• Spearhead legislation — or at least temporary regulations — to protect whistle-blowers. This may include the revival of what used to be called “Mpimpa Hotline” allowing anonymous reporting of corruption. The targeting and gruesome murders of whistle-blowers in South Africa are a deterrent to people who have information about wrongdoing. The public and employees who want to be whistle-blowers must be protected by the state.
• Making the sexual offenders register public, particularly when it involves police officers caught for any misdemeanours. We cannot claim we are serious about fighting GBV in this country and on the other hand protect law enforcement officers who are found guilty of such. The minister in his role must ensure that the public is protected from such offenders.
• Fast-tracking disciplinary cases in the system. It’s indefensible that officers remain on suspension for as long as six years in some instances. It’s tantamount to the gross misuse of public funds and resources. Cases must have a strict turnaround time to maximise police resources. Members who are exonerated must return to work speedily and those found guilty must vacate office. With the high crime rate and loss of confidence in the police, internal systems must be strengthened by the minister.

I believe these small steps will shake up the police system and mobilise the system to cleanse itself. Strict measures, specified deadlines for cases and lifestyle audits that will name, shame and dismiss guilty members are what we need.

• Prof JJ Tabane is the adjunct professor of media studies at UB and editor of Leadership and BBQ magazines

For opinion and analysis consideration, email opinions@timeslive.co.za