Dear Editor
Recent reports show criminals are increasingly using online platforms and covert couriers to move illegal firearms into the Western Cape. This exposes a major weakness in South Africa’s policing. Despite identifying the proliferation of illegal guns and the need for secure cyberspace as top priorities in its Strategic Plan, SAPS has not yet fully intercepted the digital networks driving organised crime.
The DA believes the solution lies in creating a dedicated Cyber Commissioner, an independent Chapter 9 institution, as proposed in our 20th Amendment to the Constitution.
The Cyber Commissioner would provide government and the private sector with the tools and expertise needed to tackle cyber-enabled crime. It would act as a central hub to monitor online threats, coordinate training, and set clear standards to protect sensitive information.
Most importantly, it would give SAPS and other law-enforcement agencies the capacity to investigate and disrupt criminal networks that use the internet to move firearms, drugs, and other illicit goods.
Now that the Western Cape Police Commssioner, Thembisile Patekile, has admitted that the SAPS can not contain this situation, the DA calls on Police Minister Cachalia to step in and fully support this initiative and ensure it is implemented without delay.
This new institution would work hand-in-hand with existing policing measures. Intelligence-led operations, cyber-forensics teams, real-time tracking of lost and stolen firearms, and partnerships with tech and cellphone companies to flag suspicious activity would support the Commissioner’s work.
Together, these measures would allow law enforcement to not only make arrests but also secure convictions and dismantle criminal networks.
By establishing a Cyber Commissioner, the DA is putting forward a practical solution to protect communities, secure cyberspace, and stop criminals from exploiting online networks to fuel violence. Modern organised crime demands modern institutions, and this is a decisive step toward making our country safer.
Regards
Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP
DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development