Attention Broadcasters: Please see English and Afrikaans soundbites by Lisa Schickerling MP.
The Democratic Alliance calls on the Acting Minister of Police, Feroz Cachalia, to turn the Gang Summit into a concrete plan of action for communities living under the daily threat of gangs and organised crime.
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made one of the summit’s most important contributions, highlighting that SAPS cannot carry the full burden of policing alone and raising the critical question of whether policing powers should be devolved to provinces with the capacity and capability to exercise them effectively.
South Africa cannot keep relying on a highly centralised policing model while organised crime becomes more sophisticated and criminal networks exploit weaknesses across the criminal justice system.
We cannot continue trying to solve a 2026 crime problem with a policing model designed for a fundamentally different South Africa.
Policing should be brought closer to the communities it serves. Crime does not look the same across South Africa. The gang crisis on the Cape Flats is different from organised crime in KwaZulu-Natal. Rural policing challenges in the Northern Cape are different from the pressures faced by major metropolitan areas.
The DA has consistently called for capable provinces and municipalities to have greater responsibility, resources and accountability for local policing where they have the capacity to deliver it. The Western Cape’s LEAP deployments have shown the value of targeted, locally responsive policing.
The summit must now set out what will change, which laws need to be amended, which powers can be devolved, what resources must follow, and who will be held accountable for implementation.
Communities do not need another talkshop or another report. They need police who can keep them safe.
Government must now act.