04 JULY 2025

Honourable Chairperson;

Minister of Police, Honourable Senzo Mchunu

Deputy Minister of Police, Honourable Polly Boshielo

Honourable Ministers in attendance;

Honourable Deputy Ministers;

Chairperson and Members of the Portfolio Committee on Police

Honourable MECs present;

Members of Parliament;

Heads of entities;

Ministry Staff;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen;

The Civilian Secretariat for Police developed the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS), which was approved by Cabinet and remains one of the apex strategic intervention in our sector to reduce violence and crime in a holistic approach, in the medium term.  ICVPS recognizes that violence and crime are due to complex social, economic and psychological factors, and require an integrated preventative approach to addressing the root causes of crime and violence. 

Relevant departments including municipalities have developed implementation plans aligned to key focus areas of the ICVPS and we will continue to facilitate the implementation of the ICVPS at all spheres of government, offering technical guidance and support. Importantly, there is a large focus on municipalities understanding their role in community safety, and implementing programmes on safety.

To ensure seamless and coordinated reporting on this strategy, a National Working Committee has been established comprising of the JCPS departments and other key stakeholders. The work of this Committee will be reported to FOSAD, Cabinet and other key structures outlining key achievements and challenges in the fight against crime and violence in the country.

On key policy intervention, CSPS has consulted various stakeholders towards the finalisation of the National Policing Policy (NPP). On 14 May 2025, Cabinet approved the aforesaid Policy, which outlines government’s broad plans to address shortcomings in the mandate of the South African Police Service.  The NPP will thus address challenges such as inadequate police stations, capacity issues and ensure that infrastructure is based on proper norms and standards.

NPP also makes provisions for creating professional and quality policing; providing efficient and effective policing service delivery; improving legitimacy and trust between communities and the police; building a strong and ethical leadership, management and governance architecture within the SAPS.

Honourable members, this is a significant policy shift in the South African Policing landscape. The key focus for 2025/26 financial year will be the development and finalisation of the implementation plan that will facilitate the move from the current state of policing to the envisioned state of policing, of a legitimate and trusted police service.

CSPS will continue to formulate policies and research informed by the evidence based policing approach. To this end, the focus for 2025/26 is on the consultation and finalisation of the Policy on Familial DNA Searches (FDS), which gives effect to Section 15M of the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act 37 of 2013. The FDS is a forensic technique employed by law enforcement agencies to identify genetic relatedness among DNA profiles in forensic databases. Once approved by Cabinet, the Policy will, among others, outline procedures and protocols for using DNA technology to identify relatives of suspects in criminal investigations, providing investigative leads when traditional methods fail.

In addition, the CSPS will enhance the Monitoring of the Forensic Science Laboratories with a view of ensuring that processing of exhibits is done timeously and challenges are identified on time and resolved efficiently. The effective laboratory services contribute to the quick resolutions of court cases, thus ensuring that victims of crime receive justice.

Honourable members are aware that for any law to be enforceable, it has to be passed as an Act of Parliament. In this respect, the CSPS will introduce two Bills in Parliament in 2025/26 financial year. These are:

• South African Police Amendment Bill

• Firearms Control Amendment Bill.

House Chairperson and honourable members

In the spirit of the whole of society and whole of government approach as championed by the ICVPS, SAPS will be better positioned to halve crime and violence.

In this regard, a commitment is made to enter into partnerships with critical stakeholders to enhance police performance through cooperation agreements. The cooperation agreements entered into with provinces and municipalities are aimed at sharing a vision for safety and security within cities and communities. Various initiatives, programmes, and strategies through these agreements will be implemented in provinces.

To date, four provinces have signed the aforesaid cooperation agreements namely; Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. The implementation of these agreements is coordinated through the provincial technical Committees as well as District Technical sub-committees. Key areas of focus include among others intelligence led-operations, E-policing, gender-based violence and femicide, case flow management, and monitoring and evaluation.

Assessments will also be undertaken to establish effectiveness of the established Community Safety Forums (CSFs) and Community Policing Forums (CPFs).

Related interventions will  include CPF training workshops which will be conducted in selected high crime rate areas to equip CPF members to support policing and crime prevention efforts.

Fellow honourable members, in our concerted effort to contribute to the effective implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF, the CSPS will continue to conduct the following initiatives:

• Monitoring of SAPS compliance to and implementation of the Domestic Violence Act

• Oversight visits over the top 30 police stations with high levels of GBV related crimes (nationally)

• Court watching briefs to identify systemic issues that lead to the withdrawal of GBVF related cases – with particular focus on police responsibilities

• Awareness campaigns involving community and faith based organisations, institutions of higher learning and other government departments.

In order to deliver effectively on the mandate of the CSPS, the Department is allocated a total budget of R172, 245 million for the 2025/26 financial year. This is an increase of R16, 281 million from the adjusted budget of R155, 964 million for 2024/25 financial year and includes an inflation adjustment and R9, 187 additional funding for Compensation of Employees. This increase is for the filling of the two posts of Deputy Directors-General and their support staff as well as the Cost of Living Adjustment for 2025/26. The micro organizational structure is being reviewed in order to increase capacity in line with the departmental strategy and mandates.  Funding will be needed in the next MTEF process to fund the organizational structure and the necessary mandates of the department. 

Thank you.