Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today sent a letter to Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, demanding urgent lifestyle audits of all senior SAPS leaders. The DA is calling for immediate action to restore accountability, integrity, and proper management of police resources.
Corruption at the top of SAPS has long undermined the service. Senior officials control procurement, promotions, deployments, and the allocation of billions of rands each year. Yet, too often, these positions are used to enrich themselves rather than serve the public.
Every rand stolen through inflated tenders, kickbacks or corrupt networks is a rand stolen from Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units. It is a vehicle that isn’t repaired. A detective post left vacant. A DNA backlog that grows larger. A victim support room that never opens. While communities are pleading for protection, corrupt leaders are bleeding the system dry.
Lifestyle audits are a clear, practical step to address this. They provide an independent review of unexplained wealth, questionable business relationships, and luxury assets inconsistent with declared income. Such audits help uncover corruption, protect public funds, and ensure resources reach the frontline.
If SAPS leaders have nothing to hide, there should be no fear of scrutiny.
The expected outcomes of these audits are clear:
- Greater integrity and accountability at the top of SAPS
- Improved resourcing for units investigating and preventing GBV
- Stronger morale among honest officers
- Restored public confidence in the police service
- Disruption of entrenched corrupt networks
The DA will continue to push for decisive action. The fight against gender-based violence cannot wait while corruption persists at the top of our police service. Acting Police Minister Cachalia must implement these audits immediately to ensure that women and children are protected, and that public resources are used for the purpose they were intended.
The DA’s full letter to Acting Minister Cachalia is linked here .
Regards
Lisa Schickerling MP
DA Spokesperson on Police