A Democratic Alliance (DA) investigation on police misconduct over a 5 year period has revealed a troubling increase in police brutality and the Independent Police Investigation Directorate’s (IPID) declining capacity to successfully investigate the cases before it.
The DA will write to the head of IPID, Jennifer Ntlatseng, requesting that she provides clarity on any plans that the organisation has to clear its case backlog and fast track its investigations on pending cases.
The data shows that complaints of deaths in police custody increased by 16%, from 99 incidents in 2018-2019 to 115 during 2019-2020. Even more troubling is the fact that complaints of rape by a police officer increased by 20%, from 55 to 66 incidents. The table below provides a summary of the systemic impunity within SAPS:
| 2015/
2016 |
2016/
2017 |
2017/
2018 |
2018/
2019 |
2019/
2020 |
5-year % change | |
| Deaths in police custody | 103 | 154 | 98 | 99 | 115 | 11.6% |
| Rape by police officer | 61 | 51 | 49 | 55 | 66 | 8.1% |
| Deaths as a result of police action | 159 | 207 | 224 | 215 | 205 | 28.9% |
| Torture | 73 | 61 | 87 | 144 | 106 | 45.2% |
| Deaths as a result of police action | 159 | 207 | 224 | 215 | 205 | 28.9% |
It is simply unacceptable that, at a time when crime has reached an all-time high, rotten cops within SAPS have become agents for the re-victimisation of South Africans seeking protection from communities overrun by criminals.
Perhaps even more troubling is the emergence of a worrying trend where IPID’s capacity to investigate police brutality cases has severely declined during the past 4 years. In the current report, 2 806 registered cases were registered with IPID and only 757 were classified as being ‘decision ready’. This translates to only 27% of ‘decision ready’ cases. The table below provides a summary of the state of affairs:
| Registered cases | Decision ready | % | |
| Deaths in police custody | 115 | 64 | 55.6% |
| Rape by police officer | 66 | 28 | 42.4% |
| Deaths as a result of police action | 205 | 27 | 13.1% |
| Torture | 106 | 18 | 16.9% |
| Deaths as a result of police action | 205 | 27 | 13.1% |
The incapacity of IPID to hold the SAPS accountable along with the resultant increase in complaints contributes directly to the loss of public confidence in the SAPS.
These horrific figures present the perfect opportunity for new IPID head, Ms Jennifer Ntlatseng, to turn the tide on police brutality and to assure South Africans that her organisation is up to the task of protecting them from this scourge.