Statement by Mzamo Billy MP – DA NCOP Member on the Select Committee on Security and Justice:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned that the SAPS tender to procure body-worn cameras for our hardworking and increasingly vulnerable police officers omits a crucial detail, as it does not specify how many cameras will be procured.
Without clear quantities, the public cannot determine whether this tender represents a meaningful step towards equipping frontline officers or merely another government tick-box exercise.
Sustained pressure from the DA helped turn the promise of SAPS body cameras into a formal procurement process. However, implementation must be comprehensive and ensure that all frontline officers who need this technology are equipped, not merely a select few.
The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is managing the procurement process on behalf of SAPS. Tender RFB 3286-2026 provides for body-worn cameras, vehicle dashboard cameras and related digital evidence and video-management systems.
This is vital because SAPS needs an integrated digital evidence strategy that securely connects footage from body cameras, dashboard cameras, CCTV systems and other lawful sources to its investigative and case-management systems.
The DA has consistently pursued this matter because police officers must be equipped with technology that protects those who act lawfully, strengthens investigations and gathers credible evidence. At the same time, these systems must safeguard the public and help expose officers who abuse their authority.
Before bids close on 29 September, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia must disclose the government’s implementation plan, including the number of cameras to be procured and how they will be allocated across SAPS.
This cannot become a half-measure in which only a select group of officers receives cameras while thousands of others continue confronting violent criminals without this vital protection.
South Africa needs technology that helps police catch criminals, preserves credible evidence needed to convict them, and exposes misconduct. This supports the DA’s Catch, Convict, Clean Up approach to restoring safety and accountability.
Hella Fella
You don’t need a parachute to skydive, but you will need one if you want to do it twice.
Solo Kill
Fun South African Fact: The waters surrounding the 2,500km long coastline are teeming with life. You’ll find great white sharks, African penguins, dolphins and much much more in South Africa’s oceans. Many travellers visit the coast to watch the annual whale migrations. In Hermanus, in the Western Cape, you can see hundreds of whales from June to late November. Simon’s Town, another coastal Western Cape town, is home to Boulder’s Beach. Here you can swim alongside colonies of African Penguins!