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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Land Reform and Rural Development, Mr Mangaqa Mncwango, has noted with deep sadness the incident in which a KwaZulu-Natal farmer is alleged to have killed three primary school learners who were walking to school.

The suspect allegedly tried to buy the relatives' silence through cheap groceries and R20 000. Mr Mncwango condemned the incident in the strongest possible terms and called for accountability and consequences for the convicted perpetrator. He said a comprehensive investigation that will leave no stone unturned should follow when gross violation of human lives occurs.

“This is not a matter to play politics around. Whether it was racially motivated or not, law enforcement needed to hold the perpetrator accountable for his actions. In South Africa, it is not in the nature of the law to classify, define or name accused persons before they are held to account, and we plead for the same in this matter. There is a suspected perpetrator and there are deceased victims,” Mr Mncwango said.

Mr Mncwango called on the South African Police Service's management to act in haste and in an appropriate manner when these incidents occur. “We do not want this crime to be mischaracterised and therefore compromise investigations. This is a criminal conduct, purely punishable bylaw,” Mr Mncwango said.

The committee sends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased children and their friends at school. “We are with the bereaved families during this very difficult time of grief and wish them all the strength. May the souls of these children rest in eternal peace,” said Mr Mncwango.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

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The Portfolio Committee on Police has emphasised that the South African Police Service (SAPS) must urgently institute Section 34 inquiries as per the South African Police Act against officers charged with serious criminal offences. The committee remains of the view that to fight crime effectively, police officers accused of serious crimes must be removed to ensure that only committed officers stay in service.

The committee met with the Ministry of Police and senior management of SAPS to discuss the recently released quarter 4 crime statistics. The committee raised alarm that a growing number of SAPS officers who remain in active service despite being formally charged with serious criminal offences, including rape, attempted murder, drug trafficking and conduct linked to organised crime.

“We cannot accept a situation where the police service turns a blind eye to such serious allegations, especially where the charges suggest direct involvement in violent or organised criminal activity,” said Mr Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the committee. In today's committee engagement, SAPS leadership was questioned about multiple specific cases in which officers, some out on bail and facing grave charges, are not only still reporting for duty, but in some instances still hold leadership positions or operate in frontline roles. These cases include:

• A police constable who is out on bail for rape, is still serving at a local station.
• An acting station commander who is currently facing charges of attempted murder and torture.
• A member who was caught selling police dockets, later arrested again for drunk driving while on suspension, is now back at work.
• A court orderly who was found with over 900 Mandrax tablets, still deployed at a central Cape Town station.
• A detective, out on bail for dealing drugs, is also reportedly back on duty.

This is concerning, and Section 34 enquiries would determine whether an officer is fit to remain in office. In the context of the need to restore police credibility and reestablish the necessary collaboration between police and communities, it is essential to ensure that every officer is fit and proper to hold the position of authority and that effective consequence management is engraved in the fabric of the SAPS.

Meanwhile, the committee has resolved that it is necessary to extend oversight to the station level. In line with this, the committee unanimously agreed to schedule a special meeting with the Fleurhof station commander following allegations that the police did not act fast enough in the case of the missing 11-year-old boy, Jayden-Lee Meek. “Crime happens at police station level, and while national leadership of the SAPS at the national and provincial level must be held accountable, so are officers at station level. It is in this context that we will invite the station commander to outline the circumstances around the incident,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

The committee remains concerned by the disparity between arrests made and convictions of criminals arrested during police operations. A criminal justice system that is unable to convict criminals is not effective and undermines the mandate of the system. Also, the committee remains concerned that there is no effective plan to tackle high gang-related crimes. “There is no question that gang violence is a major contributor to the high murder rates in the country. An effective response plan must be developed and urgently implemented to combat gang-related violence,” Mr Cameron said.

Also, the committee has called for collaboration between SAPS and sister departments and government agencies such as the South African Revenue Service to counter organised crime. The committee remains of the view that closer collaborations are critical in the overall fight against crime.

Similarly, the committee remains concerned about the length of time SAPS vehicles spend undergoing repair and maintenance after a breakdown. The committee has always highlighted that the availability of tools of trade is critical in combating crime.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

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The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has instructed the minster to take urgent steps to restore the effectiveness of governance systems at the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The RAF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Collins Letsoalo, was placed on special leave on Monday, 26 May 2025.

The committee has a litany of concerns, which include but are not limited to:

• That the board has failed properly to ensure that its senior officials are vetted for suitability, with the Chief Executive Officer informing the committee on 16 October 2024 that he had been vetted when this was not the case. Misleading Parliament is a serious breach of trust.
• Failure to perform background checks on a senior official, also unvetted, even though he escaped disciplinary charges at his previous state employer. The committee has consistently expressed extreme displeasure at the practice of state employees escaping accountability for serious misconduct by securing employment elsewhere in the state.
• Continuing for more than two years without ahead of legal services while pursuing litigation against the Auditor-General,and against the instructions of more than one Minister of Transport.
• Failure to appoint a Chief Claims Officer for more than two years despite a serious backlog of claims.
• Accumulating over R4bn in default judgements while failing to appoint either a head of legal services or Chief Claims Officer. The RAF has on numerous occasions been excoriated by the courts,including a case last week where the RAF attempted to overturn a R6m judgment by filing false statements with the court, and then proceeding not to argue its own application.
• Just two law firms in a panel of over 40receiving over 83% of legal fees (R83m) paid during the most recent financial year. The two law firms also received the bulk of payments in the previous financial year.

The decision to place the CEO on special leave was taken by the board yesterday and announced to SCOPA by the Deputy Minister of Transport Mr Mkhuleko Hlongwa today in a meeting that was meant to discuss updates on the ongoing SIU investigations at RAF.

RAF board Chairperson, Ms Zanele Francois, told SCOPA that the reason for the CEO special leave was due to a disagreement over whether the RAF should agree to account to Parliament, the content of the presentation and potential conflict in relation to the ongoing SIU investigation.

The committee has instructed the board to provide comprehensive reasons in writing to the committee within a week.

SCOPA has resolved to recall RAF to return with detailed explanations regarding the special leave of the CEO, a breakdown of spending on cases with a list of law firms, attorney and council fees.

“The Road Accident Fund is funded by taxpayers. It is unacceptable that any official thereof refuses to account to Parliament in the manner we have experienced during the past week. It is also unacceptable that the institution can accumulate billions in default judgments due to its failure to manage litigation properly, leaving the institution vulnerable to expensive default judgments that accumulate interest taxpayers must pay,” said Songezo Zibi, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.