Dear Editor
Following persistent pressure by the DA to rid SAPS of crooked cops, a recent parliamentary reply revealed that at least 57 police officers nationally, who were initially dismissed through formal disciplinary hearings for crimes including rape, murder, fraud and corruption, were reinstated by Provincial or Divisional Commissioners between 2015 and 2025. Most of the dismissal sanctions were replaced with mere short suspensions or a written warnings.
The DA calls for the urgent tabling of the SAPS Amendment Bill in Parliament to finally address one of the most dangerous failures in policing: the power of Provincial and Divisional Commissioners to overturn dismissal decisions and shield convicted officers from accountability.
The examples are horrifying:
- In the Eastern Cape, a sergeant charged with rape had his dismissal set aside entirely, despite the seriousness of the offence, because SAPS management claimed the evidence was “insufficient.”
- A constable charged with murder had his dismissal changed to a two-month suspension, after arguing the shooting was accidental and contributing to the funeral.
- A sergeant in the Northern Cape, charged with rape, was reinstated with a one-month suspension and later dismissed again for a separate rape case.
- Officers guilty of corruption, assault GBH, firearm abuse, fraud and even sexual harassment of subordinates, were allowed to remain in the service with little more than a slap on the wrist after having been initially dismissed by a properly constituted panel.
In the Western Cape alone, Lt Genl Patekile has overturned 17 dismissal decisions, shielding officers who were found guilty of serious misconduct. These include a sergeant convicted in a criminal court, who was kept in the service with only a one-month suspension; a captain who assaulted a female and a club owner, whose dismissal was reduced to a mere written warning; and multiple officers who illegally handed over police exhibits, whose dismissals were replaced with final written warnings.
Most shockingly, Patekile reinstated an officer found guilty of fraud after selling police dockets to the public, justifying it by claiming that the employment relationship had “not irretrievably broken down.” These decisions reflect a disturbing tolerance for corruption and criminality within SAPS ranks and directly undermine any attempt to restore discipline or rebuild public trust.
This crisis is compounded by the recent admission by the Minister of Police that SAPS has no dedicated plan to fight gang violence in the Western Cape – a stunning confession that confirms what communities on the Cape Flats have known for years: the process to devolve policing powers to capable governments must be accelerated. The situation is worsened by the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner who actively shields crooked cops, weakens discipline and delays action on critical crime-fighting resources. When gang violence is spiralling out of control, how can SAPS expect to restore order when officers guilty of corruption, fraud and misconduct are reinstated and protected?
The absence of a national strategy, combined with a provincial leadership that enables lawlessness within its own ranks, leaves the Western Cape utterly compromised in the fight against organised crime.
This is not an isolated problem, but a systemic failure. The SAPS Amendment Bill must be brought to Parliament without delay to strip provincial commissioners of their unchecked power to vary or reverse dismissals and create independent disciplinary oversight boards.
Until SAPS leadership stops protecting criminals and starts protecting the public, no gang strategy, no deployment and no reform plan will ever succeed.
Regards
Nicholas Gotsell MP
DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice