132 civilian claims against Gauteng SAPS during lockdown

30 June 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Gauteng Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko and Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela to ensure discipline among the members of the SAPS and that they adhere to their Code of Conduct.

This follows the revelation that 132 civilian claims have been made against the members of the Gauteng SAPS since the inception of the national lockdown period due to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

This information was revealed by MEC Mazibuko in an oral reply to the DA’s questions during the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) virtual sitting.

According to MEC Mazibuko, of these 132 claims, 79 claims are being processed, 44 claims are under investigation and only nine claims have been finalised.

These civilian claims were made during the national lockdown period, however not all of them are related to the national lockdown.

The monetary value of all these claims is approximately R180 million.

It is worrying that some members of the SAPS in this province are failing to abide by the SAPS Code of Conduct and that they are failing to respect the rights of our people while they are conducting their duties.

This money that will be paid for these civilian claims could be used to ensure that our police stations are equipped with all the necessary resources needed for effective crime prevention.

For far too long the DA has been calling on the ANC-led national government to do a complete overhaul of the SAPS by curbing corruption, hiring people with a passion for policing and retraining police officers to make the police service honest, professional and one that serves and protects our people.

Issued by Michael Shackleton,DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, 30 June 2020