Minister Firoz Cachalia: 2026 State of the Nation Debate

Madam Speaker
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa
His Excellency, Deputy President Paul Mashatile Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members of Parliament

I express my condolences to the Reverand Jesse Jackson family, an old and principled friend of the people of South Africa and our struggle for freedom.

I also want to wish the Government and the People of China a Happy New Year

With respect to the fight against corruption, violent crime and organised crime, including gang violence and illegal mining, the Presidents SONA address on the 12th of February, was the most significant in the last decade.

The President’s speech recognised that the wellbeing and security of our people must be a core priority on which, inclusive economic growth and the proper functioning of our democratic institutions, is dependent.

He set out a clear vision for the coming decades, as well as detailed action steps that must be implemented to achieve our objectives.

Gang Violence and SANDF Deployment

I can confirm that the National Commissioner of the SAPS and the Chief of the SANDF met yesterday to finalise the deployment plan which will begin in the next ten days and include the Eastern Cape.

We have agreed that the method of deployment should learn from past experiences in South Africa, as well as experiences elsewhere, respect the respective mandates of the South African Police Service and the SANDF, as well as the Constitution having regard to the imperative obligation to restore calm and stop the killings.

In addition, I have asked the National Commissioner to take further steps to strengthen the Anti-Gang Units and to deploy further specialised units on which I am expecting a report.

It is also going to be critical in this period to implement steps to strengthen the capabilities that are required for intelligence driven approaches to dismantle the networks behind organised crime.

Multi-disciplinary task teams, including the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) under the leadership of its newly appointed head Advocate Mothibi, skilled and experienced detectives, officials from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the South African Revenue Service, will be targeting the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks.

I will be setting up a multi-stakeholder Organised Crime Advisory Council which will be overseeing the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated Strategy to Combat Organised Crime. It will rely on open-source information and analysis to support the monitoring and oversight responsibility of the Ministry.

Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS.)

We also have to implement an all of government approach in the fight against crime, including organised crime, as provided for in the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS.) This is a critical intervention because crime also has socio-economic roots. The social cluster departments of government including provincial and local government have a critical role to play to improve safety and security of our people across the country.

The Provincial governments of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, most effected by gang violence and various forms of organised crime such as extortion, and illegal mining, have a critical role to play in ensuring that service delivery and the development needs of our most affected communities are attended to.

We cannot fight gang violence and criminality by relying on law enforcement alone. Young people in these communities need opportunity and the prospect of a meaningful dignified future. In this regard I am in full agreement with the Cape Crime Crises Coalition (C4) that has emerged in response to the gang violence and with which I have kept close contact.

Gender-Based Violence and Femicide

The levels of gender-based violence, rape and feminicide is unconscionable. By classifying this a national disaster, the President has provided us with the impetus to tackle this issue with renewed vigour.

In my visits to communities in many parts of the country, particularly in the Eastern Cape, I have been shaken to the core by this kind of violence in families, in the most intimate spaces between husbands and wives, adults and children. I have therefore asked the Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Boshielo to lead a process supported by the Civilian Secretariat for Police Services (CSPS) to make an assessment of the gaps in the current response of the SAPS and to propose remedies.

Our approach will include expanding and strengthening the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units in SAPS to improve docket quality, DNA evidence, and victim support at police stations. It will also require working with the Departments of Social Development, Health and Justice to ensure the provision of shelters, psychosocial support, and survivor-centered services.

Community Policing

Fighting crime and improving safety also requires an all of society approach. At the inauguration of our democracy, there was a strong commitment to community policing. It appears to me that this project has lost some direction and impetus, and that a renewed effort has to be made to involve communities across the country through Community Policing Forums, patroller programs, and neighbourhood watches. We do not have to impose a one size fits all approach.

Let me say however, I am particularly interested in the role that an expanded and incentivised patroller programme can play in involving communities in the fight against crime. One option is for funding to be sourced by Provincial Governments from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Community Works Programme (CWP). I see this programme as having social benefits because it has the potential to provide additional income support to families, together with old age pensions, disability grants, and child grants.

My experience with the Take Charge programme that I introduced as the MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng, that drew lessons from the Bambanani programme in the Western Cape, has informed my interest in this form of community involvement in promoting public safety.

Police Accountability and Reform

The President also announced some important steps to improve accountability which include subjecting senior management of the SAPS to vetting and lifestyle audits by the State Security Agency (SSA). I will be expecting a report on the implementation of these Presidential directives from the National Commissioner.

I have made it clear that the establishment of the Madlanga Commission is a moment for the country to reset policing on a positive trajectory. I have already started implementing the interim recommendations through a dedicated investigations task team.

The question must be what kind of police service do we expect to see in the next decade?

Public trust in the police is crucial for our success. This can be achieved through enhanced accountability, professionalism and constitutionalism. These values have to be at the centre of this conversation and I am therefore considering implementing the recommendations of the National Planning Commission to establish a National Police Board to provide advice to the National Commissioner and the Minister on the police reform agenda.

I can report that the Civilian Secretariate has already prepared legislation on the establishment of this board that I am examining. Since the passage of the Board and the passing of legislation will take time, I am considering establishing an interim governance panel to advise on the implementation of the recommendations of the Madlanga Commission.

I am also planning in the weeks ahead to utilise the opportunity of Ministerial statements to provide the House and the public with further details on the measures I will be implementing in support of the police accountability and reset agenda.

I thank you.

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