Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbite by Lisa Schickerling MP.
– Tough SAPS questions left unanswered,
– Communities paying the price for police failures,
– DA demands accountability from Police Ministry.
Today, once again, the Police Ministry failed to provide answers to the difficult questions posed by the DA during the National Assembly sitting.
While communities across the Cape Flats continue to endure daily killings, gang violence and violent crime, the Ministry has remained silent on the ongoing collapse of leadership, accountability and operational effectiveness within SAPS.
The DA directly questioned what objective indicators Government uses to determine whether instability within SAPS senior leadership is affecting crime prevention, intelligence-led policing and investigative outcomes, yet no meaningful answer was provided.
The DA also raised concerns around accountability within SAPS by asking how many disciplinary cases involving senior SAPS officials of pensionable age have been delayed or remained unresolved during periods of prolonged acting appointments. Once again, the Ministry failed to provide clarity.
The Ministry has itself now effectively acknowledged that specialised SAPS units are severely underfunded, something the DA has warned about for years. These units consist of highly trained and experienced officers who play a critical role in combating organised crime, gangs and violent offences. Merely attempting to keep these units operational is not enough while communities continue to face escalating violence.
South Africans deserve a Police Ministry capable of answering for the failures within SAPS and presenting clear interventions to restore public safety. Instead, Parliament and the public were met with evasions while communities continue to pay the price in blood every single day.