Posts

State capture boosted violence and organised crime

Organised crime flourished under Jacob Zuma’s presidency as South Africa’s criminal justice agencies were manipulated for political and personal gain. This is one of many findings in a joint submission by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Corruption Watch to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission). Interference in Read more >

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 >

Civil society is key player in cutting out crime

By Kwazi Dlamini First published in City Press The African Union (AU) has marked 2018 as the African year of anti-corruption, with the theme of Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation. One of the AU’s weapons in its anti-corruption arsenal is the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption 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 >