CRIMEFIGHTING REFORM: R1bn in recovered loot to fund Firoz Cachalia’s police reset

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia wants to use the crisis exposed by the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to drive fundamental reform of the South African Police Service (SAPS), including depoliticising policing, rebuilding Crime Intelligence, tackling organised crime, cleaning up procurement and making police stations work better for the public.

State Capture loot recovered by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other institutions is being used to fund a major reset, Cachalia told Daily Maverick in an interview on Wednesday, 28 October.

Money recovered from criminals through the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (Cara) is being used to strengthen the fight against organised crime, including gangsterism. While the NPA’s AFU has seized and recovered more than R11-billion, R1-billion will be used to fight organised crime and corruption. Another R1-billion is funding the army deployment into gang hotspots.

“That’s one way we get our back on criminals. We strip them of their assets and use them. Cara is also used to fund army deployment into gang hotspots. Money from Cara comes from effective action against cartels and criminals, taking their money and using it against them. We need more Cara funds to win the battle,” said the police minister.

Complementing the Madlanga Commission

Cachalia said he sees the Madlanga Commission and the police reset as complementary processes. The commission is exposing corruption, alleged criminal infiltration of the justice system and institutional weaknesses, while the reset is intended to turn those findings into structural change.

“I see the reset and the Madlanga Commission as complementary, because the commission has created opportunity for the reset by casting light on dark places, by sorting fact from fiction, and good guys from bad guys.”

“Without the Madlanga Commission, I think a reset would have been much more speculative and less grounded. What the commission does is enable us to understand the scope of the problem and the elements of what has gone wrong in the police, to start debating what needs to be done.”

Cachalia has established an advisory panel of 14 experts to begin working on reforms before the Madlanga Commission issues final recommendations. He believes the police service can address known weaknesses, including procurement, human resources and vehicle management, without waiting for the inquiry to conclude.

“We shouldn’t wait. Two years is a long time. When the Madlanga Commission makes reform proposals by January 2027, we will already be well positioned to implement those proposals.”

“In other areas where they are not making recommendations, we can move ahead.”

The panel members will soon meet commission chairperson Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

‘I feel angry’

Asked about the public’s anger and loss of confidence after hearing allegations at the Madlanga Commission, Cachalia said he shares the outrage.

“I understand the mood. I share it. Sometimes I feel despondent. I feel angry. I watch the commission with growing rage. But I must keep a clear head, because what is required is clarity about the way forward. The crisis should provide us an opportunity.”

Cachalia says one of his objectives is changing police management culture where senior officers seek political favour. He describes introducing independent outside experts into selection panels for provincial police commissioners as an early intervention.

“I want to depoliticise policing. I want to change an environment in which police management thinks they must curry favour with politicians. Appointments should be merit-based.

“For the first time, we reconstituted panels appointing provincial commissioners by including outside experts from outside SAPS and the public service. We adopted a different approach to critical appointments.”

This is among the most consequential elements of the reset. It addresses the relationship between politicians and senior police officers, against allegations of political interference and compromised appointments. Sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is alleged to have interfered in policing to protect a criminal kingpin, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

“We’re nowhere near where we need to be. But I’m seeing more stability and progress. I’m seeing receptiveness to change.”

He said he had been advised to conduct a major clean-out of the entire SAPS top ranks, but chose not to. “I don’t believe that’s the way to carry out long-term reform. We’ve got to be measured, focused. We’ve got to work. We’ve got to incentivise change in the organisation, not destabilise it.”

He said police Crime Intelligence was improving, despite the unit being gutted by factionalism and State Capture.

Asked for evidence, he cited the failure of March and March and allied organisations to destabilise the country during the planned stayaway on 30 June. He also pointed to the quick arrests of perpetrators in the spate of gender-based violence murders in Ekurhuleni.

Ten priority areas

The policing reset rests on 10 priority areas. Cachalia identified organised crime as one of the country’s biggest threats to public safety and national security. He says criminal networks have diversified beyond drugs and firearms into construction, economic activity and public institutions.

He believes South Africa needs a stronger elite organised crime-fighting capability, similar to the FBI. The Hawks will have a new head in days, said Cachalia.

“These gangs are accumulating power and wealth. They are diversifying their activities. They are attempting to infiltrate institutions, public institutions. We see them trying to infiltrate economic sectors, construction. Water, basic services have been compromised through this kind of infiltration.”

“That’s why I’ve said I think it’s a national security problem."

He adds: “But the point I want to make is this: what our communities that are affected by gang violence need is not only enforcement action, but also development, economic inclusion and meaningful opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and desperation that drives gang recruitment and criminal activity.”

140 cop shops to be modernised

One of the most tangible commitments is expanding the priority police station programme from 35 to 140 stations where the highest crime numbers are reported. Cachalia says the government will identify resource constraints at these stations, improve operational capacity and monitor performance. He says 87 of the 140 stations have already submitted improvement plans.

“So we increased the priority stations from 35 to 140. What does 140 mean? Those are the high-crime stations.”

“That means we’re going to make sure at station level we find exactly what resource constraints are and provide resources required: vehicles and other kinds of resources, so we can hold station commissioners accountable for outcomes.”

Police are returning to policing, with admin such as reporting, case numbers and certifying documents done using better technology. Banks are helping with self-service technology and more efficient service delivery.

Cachalia says a modernisation project is ready for implementation at Alexandra Police Station in Johannesburg. It aims to digitise routine functions, including statement-taking, and free officers from administrative duties so they can focus on policing.

“We want to digitise services like statement-taking at station level. The project is already ready in Alex, Johannesburg. That will release policing resources for police work.”

“We want to release police officers for policing and improve service delivery.”

Cleaning up procurement

At the heart of the darkness the Madlanga Commission exposes is the Medicare24 contract between Matlala and SAPS. It revealed how easily an alleged crime kingpin corrupted senior police. Lifestyle reviews followed, and of 54 supply chain management employees, 25 failed the first round.

“It didn’t surprise me. We must do lifestyle audits to weed out people who need removing. But it’s also part of restoring probity in the organisation.”

Cachalia says the success of the reset must be measured in changes ordinary people experience, rather than promises from government. He said the police would support 100,000 community patrollers across the country and strengthen community policing forums (CPFs). But funding for the patroller programme has not yet been secured.

“I believe the reset requires people experiencing meaningful change so they become partners and co-authors themselves of this transformation project.”

The 10-point police reset

Five public safety priorities

1. Fight organised crime and corruption

Target criminal syndicates, organised corruption and the infiltration of public institutions and economic sectors by criminal networks.

2. Cut crime, especially gender violence

Reduce overall crime, with particular attention to gender-based violence and femicide. Strengthen specialist investigations and improve services for survivors.

3. Get illegal guns off the streets

Reduce firearm-related crime through confiscations, improved gun controls and modernisation of the Central Firearm Registry.

4. Tighten border security

Strengthen border security as a core public safety priority. The agenda does not yet specify detailed interventions or measurable targets.

5. Tackle gangs and community violence

Reduce gangsterism and localised violence through targeted policing, stronger investigations and community-level crime prevention.

Five institutional and
governance reforms

6. Professionalise police leadership

Strengthen SAPS management through independent appointment panels, security vetting of senior officers and expert advice from a new National Police Advisory Council.

7. Rebuild public trust

Improve police station services, strengthen community policing, tackle corruption within SAPS and hold police management accountable for performance.

8. Fix intelligence and detective services

Improve Crime Intelligence, strengthen detective capacity, recruit experienced investigators and reduce forensic and ballistics backlogs.

9. Modernise policing with technology

Digitise routine police services, including crime reporting and document certification, to reduce paperwork and free officers for policing duties.

10. Clean up procurement and resources

Strengthen oversight of police contracts, introduce tougher procurement controls and lifestyle reviews, and improve vehicle fleet and police station management. DM